Intel Core M will change the market

June 11 news, according to foreign media reports, Intel Atom series low-power processors have been applied in a variety of tablet PCs and hybrids, its performance and ARM-based processors. The Intel Core Duo processor series has very powerful processing power and high energy consumption. It is mainly used in Ultrabooks and high-end tablets represented by Microsoft Surface Pro 3. But so far, Intel has not provided a product between the two.

The Intel Core M is a low-power Core Series processor based on the 14nm Broadwell platform designed to fill the gap between Atom and Core. The configuration of Core M's products will be available during the Christmas sales season. I believe Core M will change the market landscape.

Filling the gap Since the era of the Internet, Atom has made considerable improvements, but in terms of performance, it is comparable to ARM-based processors. For example, the performance of Intel's latest Atom processor Z3580 is close to Qualcomm Snapdragon 805. Although the Atom processor will continue to improve, but in addition to running Windows 8, it does not make Intel in the competition with the ARM processor to obtain a real advantage.

Core performance is much higher than Atom's performance, not only high price but also high energy consumption. The Core Tablet PC requires a fan to dissipate heat, which limits the thickness of the device and the price is high. For example, the "Silicon Edition" Surface Pro 3 is priced at $799 (about RMB 4,910), which does not include the detachable keyboard that Surface is known for. The price of the Core Ultrabook is also very high, usually not less than 1000 US dollars (about 6145 yuan).

The gap between the hundreds of dollars in Atom Hybrid and the Core device, which costs about $1,000, will be filled by Core M. The Core M manufacturing process has evolved from the current 22nm Core and Atom to 14nm, with a higher performance ratio, eliminating the need for fans to dissipate heat from the device, which means that devices equipped with Core M can be very thin. The Intel Tablet PC reference design is only 7.2 millimeters thicker than the Apple iPad Air.

Intel has confirmed to the technology blog site Engadget that the price of Core M devices will be lower than the typical ultrabook. Although devices similar to the Intel Tablet Reference Design will cost as much as $799, slightly more expensive devices may cost as little as $599 (about $4910). This makes them quite competitive in price compared to high-end tablets such as the iPad Air, while providing comparable performance to traditional PCs.

Intel and Microsoft will benefit from Core M

Windows 8 is struggling in the tablet PC market. In 2013, the shipment of Windows tablet PCs was only 4 million units, which was a “bowl of hair” in the tablet PC market with a capacity of nearly 200 million units. For Microsoft, the key is to provide products that are difficult for rivals to match. Mixing the device may be in line with Microsoft's requirements. There are already some successful Windows 8 hybrids on the market, such as the Asus Transformer Book T100, but they are equipped with Atom chips and have no higher performance than high-end tablets.

Core M makes Windows 8 hybrid not only light and thin, but also the processing power is not what the ARM tablet can hope for. Intel's shift to the 14-nanometer process has led it to take a lead over rivals such as TSMC for about a year, and the latter will not adopt the 16-nm manufacturing process until next year. This gives Intel a huge advantage, especially when energy efficiency is so important for mobile devices.

Many different forms and price points are the key to win market share for Windows 8, and Core Duo provides the processing power that differentiates Windows 8 from its competitors. We need to wait for Core M's run points and price information to see if it is true, but Core M has the potential to set off an uproar in the tablet and hybrid market.