Fandotech IT Business Solutions

March Hardware Update: iPad, Intel, AMD and OnLive

Catch Aaron's notes on hardware from his March update broadcast:

• New iPad hit the scene this month boasting a dual core processor with better graphics and video. The new release promises the same battery life as its predecessors despite the higher resolution screen. Bonus – older models have dropped $100 in price!
• Intel is settling into its new chip set. The biggest bonus it’s a lot better powered so we’ll start seeing laptops show up with the computing power of a desktop without the power draw. This will mean we’ll have portable devices that truly have the potential of the traditional desktop.
• Intel and AMD both took a stab at discreet graphics on a single chip designed for a portable market. Will this really satisfy users looking performing graphic intense jobs on their portable devices? Aaron weighs in during his March debrief.
• Pricing landscape for hard drives is still dismal. Prices are still going up due to global production issues. By next year there will be a useful 1 TB SSD for the consumer community. Reportedly it won’t be much faster than a spinning storage drive yet the drive for solid state is speed, durability and the price point is $3.00 to $4.00 per GB compared to desktop hard drives which come in as low as $0.95 per GB and dropping.
• OnLive is starting to leverage virtual graphics so your tablet can work like a computer. Currently they offer a monthly fee based model with a free one-month trial. You need 2mbps bandwidth up and down. (Normally home-based internet/DSL is 4mbps down and 5-12k up.) Cable could handle it if you’re only running one of these devices at a time. This could be a great opportunity for small businesses with a high-speed business cable setup. Eventually the business class version of this offering will allow for networking of devices. New TV set boxes will certainly take advantage of this technology bringing the desktop to your living room entertainment center.