AMD's Atom smasher - notebooks not netbooks and not yet

From TG Daily -

AMD says it is developing a netbook platform that features lower-power, smaller-size, better functionality and a lower price than Intel's Atom - but not until next year when the first samples will ship. Per AMD CEO Dirk Meyer the products using the new chip will be notebooks rather than netbooks, reasoning that netbooks will vanish as the line between net and notebooks becomes ever more indistinct.

Will netbooks go away?

CNET News is reporting that after having previously dismissed the netbook market, AMD is now predicting that netbooks will eventually go away. Per AMD CEO Dirk Meyer, "the distinction between what is a netbook and what is a notebook is going to go away...upcoming inexpensive ultra-thin notebooks will meet the need for a small, thin, lightweight laptop that is more powerful than a netbook."

While this view is ironically shared by Intel, the bottom line will really be a matter of semantics in terms of how a netbook is and will be defined. Will the maximum screen size of a netbook extend to 12" since for some users a 12" unit will still be very portable. Then again, for other users a lightweight model, no matter the size, would function as a netbook.

Then again, as prices of components eventually come down, netbooks may also gain a lot in terms of features without substantial price increases. At that point, will they still be referred to as netbooks? And what about the forthcoming wave of cheap netbooks with embedded OS and lightweight features? Will they also be considered netbooks or sub-netbooks?

So it all really depends on how netbooks are eventually regarded. As of now, by default, netbooks are distinguished by their small sizes and weights, "limited" features, low prices, and of course, Internet connectivity and their name implies. But as netbooks evolve, the upper limits are constantly being stretched. Though conceived as a unit without a conventional drive, some models now include hard drives as large as 160GB. Newer models will feature discrete graphics as well. Similarly, the price barrier is constantly increasing with some users now considering some Kohjinsha models as netbooks, too.

But what is not arguable is that the introduction of low-cost netbooks, as pioneered by Asus, has permanently altered the notebook (and netbook) markets. How these will eventually evolve, morph or merge is anyone's guess. After all, netbooks are essentially hardware that is dictated by several factors including functionality, software, and ergonomics. For all we know, netbooks might eventually morph into touch-screen tablets with an embedded OS. Do we still call them netbooks at that point?

AMD: Netbooks? No thanks

From CNET News -

To set the record straight amidst talks of AMD entering the netbook market, company CEO Dirk Meyer said Thursday, "We're ignoring the Netbook phenomenon--just thinking about PC form factors above that form factor."

Bahr Mahony, AMD director of notebook product marketing expounded, "We're going to offer the Congo and Yukon platforms as an alternative (to processors and chipsets for Netbooks). There are a fair number of people that are not satisfied with the experience they're getting on these mininotebook platforms." He added that the dissatisfaction with Netbooks "has been exhibited by the high return rates that have been seen on these mininotebooks" in Europe.

So AMD is specifically not targeting Netbook designs. Neither is it entering the market for mobile Internet devices, or MIDs. Instead it will target ultrathin 13-inch designs such as the MacBook Air.

AMD To Announce Netbook Processors?

Prom Notebooks.com -

AMD's Dick Meyer has been quoted "We do have strategies together with our OEMs for pushing our solutions both down into smaller form factors and lower notebook price points and we will detail that next month at the Analyst Conference.

Yes that is a good question and it is a complicated answer over the phone. We will show at the Analyst Conference pictorially how we think about the notebook market. Clearly the so-called netbook is a new form factor, a new market opportunity and one that we are not participating in right now today."

The Analyst Conference starts Nov 13.

AMD preps low-powered Atom killer?

From Linux Devices -

According to Taiwan-based manufacturer Ibase, the AMD Sempron 200U/210U will sample next month on a 3.5-inch SBC (single board computer). Persistent rumors of an AMD processor code-named "Bobcat" aka "K8 BGA" or Sempron BGA have been on the net for months.

The CPU was rumored to use AMD's Sempron core at 1.0GHz or 1.5GHz, and offered in a 27mm x 27mm BGA (ball grid array) package for installation in low-cost devices. Ibase confirmed the rumors by admitting it has employed the 1.0GHz Sempron 200U and 1.5GHz Sempron 210U on a new SBC, the IB885, which will be available in October. According to iBase, the both products include an integrated memory controller, 128KB L1 cache, 256KB L2 cache, and an 800MHz HyperTransport link. The 1.0GHz 200U has an 8-Watt TDP and supports 400MHz DDR2 memory, while the 1.5GHz 210U has a 15-Watt TDP and supports 800MHz DDR2 RAM.

None of the above has yet been officially confirmed by AMD itself.