| ARM to dominate MIDs? |
Dec. 19, 2008
 The market for MIDs, netbooks, and other devices that straddle the notebook and smartphone formats will turn into a battleground between x86 and ARM architectures, says ABI Research. The competition will come down to ARM's power-saving advantage vs. the x86 edge in software compatibility, says ABI.
The ABI analysis on processors is part of its larger study of UMDs (ultra-mobile devices), which it defines as covering netbooks, ultra-mobile PCs, and mobile Internet devices (MIDs), such as Asus's Intel Atom-based R50A MID (pictured above). The processor rivalry is "playing a pivotal role in how this market is shaping up," says the study, which notes that x86-based processors from Intel are well entrenched in the PC world, while ARM-based processors lead the way in handsets.
As mobile converged devices sit in between, they will soon be the locus of intensified rivalry between the platforms. In fact, says ABI, Intel and ARM Ltd. are "already fighting it out, starting with marketing wars."
Converging toward a MID ground
Trigem's Lluon Mobbit,
a recently released x86 MID
(Click for details) |
Thanks to Intel's push behind MIDs and netbooks, which both primarily run the Intel Atom processor, the x86 camp appears to have the early lead. However, ARM is likely to eclipse Intel in MIDs, says ABI. "x86-based processor vendors are in a very good position in the near term as far as product wins and market share are concerned," stated ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis. "However, as MIDs start to surpass netbooks in shipment volumes, ARM-based solutions will be in a better position."
The superior software compatibility of x86 processors from Intel and Via is not likely to change soon, but unlike the netbook category, full software compatibility may not be as big of an issue on handheld MIDs. The bigger question is whether processors such as the Atom, and Intel's next-generation mobile processor, code-named Moorestown, can keep up with ARM on power management. "For devices such as MIDs, that may be used very heavily all day or may need to last for days without recharging, ARM-based processors hold the advantage," says ABI.
ARM processors, of course, are already the rule in PMPs (personal music players) and PNDs (personal navigation devices), listed by ABI as existing devices that compete with MIDs. These products routinely run Windows Mobile, Windows CE, or Linux, making x86 compatibility a non-issue.
Cowon's P5 is a PMP providing touchscreen web browsing, and 14 hours of operation
Offering another point of convergence, some newer PNDs and PMPs include web browsers. The Cowon P5 pictured above, for example, offers web browsing with Flash compatibility, a five-inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 resolution, 128MB RAM, and from 40GB to 80GB of hard disk storage. Using a 700MHz RMI Alchemy Au1250 CPU to run Windows CE 5.0, the P5 is claimed capable of operating on batteries for more than 14 hours.
What about Via?
While the study mentions Via Technologies as holding up the x86 fort along with Intel, it does not make any predictions regarding the potential success of Via's Nano processor in the category. In tech-publication benchmarks comparing the Nano with the Atom, the Nano outperformed the Atom, but used more power under full load, suggesting that Nano, with its out-of-order pipeline, may be better suited to nettops.
As Intel and Via continue to tune power management, ARM is working with software vendors to improve compatibility, says the research group. "The future shape of this market will be determined by engineering success on the x86 side versus business success on the ARM side," concluded Solis.
Finally, while ABI Research's latest slice of its UMD research favors ARM for MIDs, it's worth remembering that the firm also released an October report lumping all UMDs (MIDs, ultra mobile PCs, and netbooks) together. Once netbooks enter the mix, more than half of all UMDs will be based on x86 processors, notably the Atom, the firm says. For more about that report, see our earlier coverage, here.
Availability
More information on the ABI Research UMD study should be here.
For an interesting article on Intel's Atom processor roadmap, see our sister site eWEEK.com, here.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
news feed
