Intel Atom N470 (Pineview) To Relax Rules

The manufacturers who currently build Atom based devices do not have much freedom in terms of the components that they can use with the embedded processor. This is because Intel has strict restrictions in place that govern exactly what type of components the manufacturers can and cannot use. These rules pertain to things like a balance between performance and battery life, screen size, graphics etc. This is why most of the netbooks have extremely similar configurations and some are in fact identical to each other. This is about to change.

As Intel prepares to launch the next generation Atom processors, it is being said that the rules governing manufacturers will finally be relaxed. This means that the manufacturers will finally be able to bring in a lot more variety to the entire segment. Along with this, Windows 7 has been making an impact on the segment since it was launched. With the OEM-only Windows Starter Edition finally available on new netbooks, we are about see quite a few major changes in the entire market once Pinewview is released. But consumers want to experience better performance and reliability above everything else.

The new Atom processors are expected to deliver better performance at similar or lower power consumption. The die is expected to be smaller and manufactured through a process that is different from the process followed for the current Atoms. With more companies getting into the foray, like AMD, VIA, ARM and even NVIDIA, Intel needs to be on its toes to remain competitive.

But they do have a huge lead over the other players, judging by the sheer number of netbooks that use Atom chips. Only a handful of manufacturers are experimenting with the new chips from these other companies. Also, Intel’s CULV chips are cannibalizing Atom’s market in some cases. So Intel’s Atom strategy may need to change this time around.