Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Intel Core M: everything you need to know

Intel Core M: everything you need to know

Similar to its great buddy Microsoft, Intel found itself horrifically late to the tablet party. Both companies had tried to push the form factor before.

The 2002's Tablet PC was a thick and clunky eight-year early tablet based around Windows XP Tablet Edition and failed to get any traction outside of businesses.

Both companies made a fatal error at the time – they believed that people wanted 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with detachable keyboards

The Atom experiment was a disaster; some of the designs from well-known OEMs offered an extremely poor user experience for using Windows 8. The CPU just wasn't up to the job.

The 2-in-1 market, however, is a sizable area of potential gain for Intel. The market is still very young, but the signs are encouraging – 50 per cent of people that have bought a 2-in-1 say they were previously considering a tablet, while there are more 70 system designs now on the market across all screen sizes. 2-in-1s are for people that still want to use x86 and x64 apps and have a device that can be used as a tablet.

Intel Core M

While Intel has long produced CULV (Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage) processors for tablets including the Haswell Core i3, i5 and i7 variants in the Surface Pro 3, something still needed to change. Intel has the computing power, but battery life was a major weakness until now.

Enter the 14 nanometer die shrink of Haswell. Codenamed Broadwell, this is a launch that – relatively unusually for Intel in recent times - has been delayed, and after originally being promised the bulk of the CPUs (including those for desktops and full laptops) in late 2014, these will most likely hit in early 2015 (Intel says they "will be in volume production before year end"). We expect them to see a full launch at CES 2015.

But today sees an advance party for Broadwell in the form of Intel Core M. These Broadwell CPUs are designed specifically for tablets and 2-in-1s as well as very thin laptops (whether they'll fit into the Ultraboook category remains to be seen).

And they're fanless, yet with Core-level performance. The key to this is 14nm die shrink that has enabled the TDP (thermal design power) of the system-on-chip to sink below 6W and even down to 4.5W depending on design.

Intel Core M

This compares to TDPs of 17-18W only a couple of years ago. Improved packaging also enables more compact designs – the equivalent Haswell Core package was 960mm^2, whereas Core M's packaging is almost half that. This translates into designs that are designs that are thinner than 9mm.

Intel sees the biggest market for 2-in-1s are people who bought a PC around 3-5 years ago and who are now looking to upgrade.

Intel also believes Core M powered devices can entice those who were previously just looking for an Android or iOS tablet, but who value the multitasking value of Windows, flexible file storage and capabilities of a full Windows PC.

Core M is available in dual core versions for now, the latter having 1.3 billion transistors. 4MB of L3 Cache is shared across the cores and the on-die graphics. Core M utilises Intel's HD 5300 Graphics which supports resolutions up to 4K (3,840 vs 2,160).

Intel Core M

There are three variants of the Core M; 5Y70, 5Y10a and 5Y10 (capable of going to 4W). The key difference is the clock – 2.6Ghz for the 5Y70, while the others are 2.0Ghz. All these chips are dual-core, four thread processors but expect some other variants as time goes on.

With Core M, Intel is promising performance improvements for graphics and video of 7% and a more modest increase of around 2% for productivity tasks over 'a four year-old notebook' – that's comparing a Core M-5Y70 with the Core i5-520UM chip. The key thing here though is that there has been a significant reduction in TDP, 18W vs 4.5W.

Intel Core M

That power reduction means a significant uplift in battery life – Intel is talking somewhere in the region if 1.7 hours versus a previous generation system. As you can see from this chart, the main power consumer is the screen (no surprise), but Broadwell brings a distinct saving when it comes to the system-on-chip as well as, interestingly, audio. This is down to Intel's SmartSound audio processing technology that enables features such as wake -on-voice.

Intel Core M

Also part of the Core M platform is 802.11ac wireless (Intel Wireless-AC 7265) and 5Y70 is compatible with Intel's vPro for business deployments, Windows InstantGo and Platform Trust Technology. There's also support for Intel's Rapid Storage tech.

As for pricing, Intel is predictably talking about the 2-in-1 market predominantly – machines around the $900 mark (around £550, AU$950). But Intel reckons Core M could easily be homed in cheaper tablets – those around the $500 mark (around £300, AU$530) - and we'll have to wait to see what OEMs announce in due course.

Intel says somewhere in the region of 20 system designs are being developed using Core M and a handful of systems will arrive in October across both consumer and business SKUs. The first of these – launched at IFA 2014 - is the new-generation Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2 in 1 that clocks in at 800g. It's 9.6mm thick, with a 11.6-inch Full HD display.

From iPhone OS to iOS 8: just how has Apple's mobile platform changed?

From iPhone OS to iOS 8: just how has Apple's mobile platform changed?

iOS is the smartphone platform that, some argue, started it all, and with iOS 8 arriving very soon, it's easy to forget where it all began. Although it was only 2007, the launch of the Apple iPhone and its nascent iPhone OS seems millennia ago.

With that in mind, we decided to dig deeper and take a trip down a grid-based memory lane, so here's our look at the software side of PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2hvc3RpbmdraXRhLmNvbQ0iIHRhcmdldD0iX2JsYW5rIiByZWw9Im5vZm9sbG93Ij5BcHBsZSdzIDwvYT4=mobile revolution.

iPhone OS

iPhone 1

You remember the iPhone right? Not the one with the Retina screen that's all the rage on public transport, but the one that started it all nearly six years ago.

The mobile market has never looked the same since WWDC 2007. The leader at that time, BlackBerry, is now struggling, and nigh on every smartphone adorned with a massive touchscreen. Powering the first iPhone was Apple's iPhone OS, a touch-optimised version of OS X.

With its black background and App grid, the iOS platform was pretty bland. However, it had multi-touch capabilities, and it carried a mobile-ised version of Safari, the precursor to the mobile versions of Chrome, IE and FireFox, albeit without Flash (something that has remained omitted to this day).

These elements might have seemed small, but a great touch-based interface and strong web browser were killer features.

iPhone OS 2

iPhone 2

The next major iteration of iOS came along with the iPhone 3G, the second version of the iPhone. Whilst there were some notable hardware upgrades, such as 3G support, people began to realise that the big difference was the software.

The iPhone 2.0 software gave birth to the App Store, housing what has become the staple of the smartphone diet: apps.

True third party apps could be created and distributed easily, with a whopping 500 applications at launch. Apps could even be downloaded directly to the iPhone, skipping iTunes if you wanted.

For many users, the other major update to iPhone OS 2 was nothing to get excited about, but don't underestimate its importance.

It pushed Apple's devices towards the business market as Microsoft Exchange came built in, alongside Cisco IPSec VPN and WPA2 Enterprise support, opening up a whole new revenue stream for the brand.

iPhone OS 3

iPhone 3

Again, the next iteration of Apple's mobile OS was launched with a phone, the iPhone 3GS.

Once more there were big features that now seem commonplace in both the mobile and iOS markets, such as landscape typing now available in third party apps.

The first really big update came in the form of Spotlight, that search page to the far left of your home screens, allowing you to search through contacts, Mail and Calendar apps.

The other major update was copy and paste, something that has been on desktops for as long as we can remember. (Apple, incidentally, was the company to bring it to the fore on the Lisa and Macintosh systems of the early 80s.) Text and even imagery could be copied across, and placed in the upgraded Messages app, meaning the iPhone finally packed MMS support.

iOS 4

iOS 4

Cue 2010 and a refresh of name. Unhappy with dominating just the mobile market, Apple spied the next big thing in the form of the tablet.

With many writing it off as a large iPod, the iPad took the world by storm. Yes, the original shipped with iPhone OS 3.2, but it meant that iOS was no longer locked to small displays, making it across to the 9.7-inch screen.

So what did iOS4 bring to the iPad, and the newly launched iPhone 4? Wallpapers would be the first thing to change: the dull bland black background was replaced, and customisable lock screen wallpapers arrived as well. iBooks made its first appearance, optimised to turn the iPad into an eReader.

Video calling also popped over in the form of FaceTime, although limited only to Wi-Fi connections. The new decade did herald two other new features to iOS, and they were big features: multi-tasking and folders.

A double tap of the home button allowed access to the strictly controlled multi-tasking bar along the bottom for easy switching between your apps, meaning navigating iOS became easier, and battery life got longer. Win win.

A folder system was also implemented, and to this day many can't see its integration ever being beaten (although it's often copied).

Dragging and dropping icons onto each other meant you could hide away system apps, and group your games together. We're sticklers for neatness, so we don't know where we'd be without folders.

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 firmware update addresses Wi-Fi, stability issues

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 firmware update addresses Wi-Fi, stability issues

Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 received a generally positive reception from reviewers and early adopters for its larger screen, slimmer design and slew of fancy Pen-based features.

But, despite several patches, owners have continued to report issues relating to overheating and inconsistent Wi-Fi weeks after the device hit the shelves worldwide.

Microsoft is continuing to plug holes in its September firmware update, which brings five updates focused on improving the tablet's overall stability and connectivity. They are:

  • Surface Pro UEFI update (v3.10.250.0), which aims to improve overall system stability (including Wi-Fi)
  • Surface Pro Embedded Controller Firmware update (v38.6.50.0) - delivers enhanced support for system performance and user experience, including a thermostat icon on boot.
  • Surface Pro System Aggregator Firmware update (v3.9.350.0) increases the overall system reliability and compatibility with a Surface cover.
  • Surface Integration driver update (v2.0.1102.0) enhances user experience, including Wi-Fi stability.
  • Surface Wi-Fi and Bluetooth driver update (v15.68.3055.107) improves Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth reliability and system stability, and significantly enhances the user experience.

How to get it

To download the new firmware, swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings. Then tap Change PC Settings and choose Update and recovery, and tap Check now.

Once the update shows, tap View details, select the new firmware update (listed as System Firmware Update - 9/9/2014) and tap install. You'll need to restart your Surface to apply the update.

If you're looking to improve your Surface Pro 3's performance even further, Intel recently released an updated driver for its HD4400 integrated GPU. Though we're yet to test it, some outlets are reporting a healthy speed boost in every day use and gaming activities, and there's little to lose in giving it a try.

  • Here's what we want to see in the Surface 3