Intel on Monday said it is investigating a glitch that prevents an Apple iPhone from synching with certain PCs that use a new Intel chipset.
"Our leading theory is a BIOS or system configuration issue, but we are still investigating," Intel said Monday. The BIOS, or basic input/output system, is the initial code that runs when a PC is powered on. The BIOS identifies and initializes system devices such as the chipset, graphics card, and hard disk drive. Makers of PC circuit boards, aka motherboards, typically offer their own BIOS.
The problem is thought to be tied to the Intel P55 chipset and desktop motherboards from certain manufacturers, according to a report in The Register.
The Intel P55 Express chipset supports the Intel Core i7-800 and Core i5-700 series processors, according to Intel. The chipset is new and has only been available since summer.
As depicted in an "Apple Discussions" thread, on certain PCs or motherboards with the P55 chipset, Apple iTunes 9 for Windows will recognize the iPhone, but when a sync is attempted, an "error 0xE8000065" is generated, indicating an iPhone connection failure. Windows 7 is also cited as a common problem, particularly the 64-bit version of Windows 7.
"Microsoft has not seen this particular question posed in the Microsoft Answers for Windows 7 community forum, nor in any of our call centers," Microsoft told the The Register on Friday. "If we determine this to be a problem specific to Windows 7, we will post an update on the Microsoft Answers site."
The Apple Discussions thread proposes a number of possible solutions.
Apple could not immediately be reached for comment.
Nvidia on Monday confirmed that Samsung will bring out a Netbook based on the graphics chipmaker's Ion chipset, another design that breaks the Netbook mold.
"Ion really transforms these small laptops, like the upcoming Samsung and Lenovo Ideapad S12, into fully capable notebooks," Rene Haas, general manager of notebook products at Nvidia said Monday in a statement.
Ion brings mainstream PC graphics to Netbooks, including 1080p high-definition video support and better gaming, according to Nvidia.
The disclosure of the Samsung Netbook follows the Lenovo IdeaPad S12--due in August--the first Netbook announced from a major PC maker to employ the Nvidia chip.
Upcoming Samsung Netbook based on Nvidia's Ion chipset and Intel Atom processor
(Credit: Nvidia)Though Nvidia would not confirm specifications, Netbook Choice is reporting that the Netbook, branded the Samsung N510, is due in July and will sport an 11.6-inch screen--large for the Netbook category, where screens typically top out at about 10 inches.
The Samsung Netbook would be another manifestation, following the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, of Nvidia's efforts to break the Netbook mold as defined by Intel: a low-performance device with a screen under 11 inches in diagonal size. Nvidia claims designs like Samsung's and Lenovo's are more notebook than Netbook.
Samsung's Netbook bears Nvidia badge
(Credit: Nvidia)"The Netbook term was created by Intel to define a segment offering a limited experience, but with Ion you don't have those same limitations," Nvidia's Haas said. "These systems can handle mainstream gaming, HD video, and new GPU-powered applications. You might as well call them notebooks, because that's what they are."
The N510 will also pack an Intel 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, according to Netbook Choice. The N280 is Intel's latest Atom processor that, ironically, is offered to Netbook makers with supporting Intel silicon that delivers better graphics performance than previous Intel Atom technology. That Intel feature, however, is not available when a PC maker uses Nvidia's higher-performance Ion silicon that integrates Nvidia's 9400M graphics chip--the same chip used in Apple's MacBook line.
Other Samsung Netbook features include a 160GB hard disk drive, 1GB of memory, and Wi-Fi (draft-n), Bluetooth, and a Webcam, according to Netbook Choice.
Nvidia's Ion is also used in tiny desktop PCs such as the Acer AspireRevo and ASUS eeeTop.
Intel appears ready to take another crack at flash memory-based acceleration--this time offering it with future chipsets.
Intel Braidwood technology is based on a flash memory module.
(Credit: Intel)"Braidwood is a flash memory technology that provides faster boot-up time, faster application launch, and a snappier, more responsive system," said Rob Crooke, vice president and general manager of Intel's Business Client Group, speaking during a presentation streamed over the Web from the Computex conference in Taipei, Taiwan, earlier this week.
Braidwood will be offered with the future "5 Series" chipset family--which is Intel's first single-chip chipset--and the future "Clarkdale" processor (see discussion below).
The architecture accelerates I/O (input/output) accesses by saving that data to flash memory, according to Crooke. In a demonstration at Computex, Crooke showed Braidwood "caching the I/O...And then, when it launches that application again, it happens very quickly," he said.
Intel's first stab at technology analogous to Braidwood came in 2006. That product was code-named Robson and eventually branded as Turbo Memory. But it only received lukewarm reviews and was never adopted widely.
"Clarkdale," a Nehalem-based processor, will be offered with Braidwood, according to Intel documentation released at Computex. Clarkdale will integrate graphics silicon into the same package as the main processor. It is on track to begin production in the fourth quarter of this year--with systems available in 2010--and is built on Intel's second-generation 32-nanometer process technology. Clarkdale will be offered with the Intel 5 Series chipset.
On another front, Crooke also talked about the mainstreaming of Intel's Nehalem Core i7 desktop chips, which are currently limited to high-end enthusiast systems. Due later this year, the "Lynnfield" processor is a new four-core, eight-thread processor that will be paired with the P55 Express chipset. Threads essentially double the number of tasks a processor can perform.
Users can expect 40 percent better performance on widely used SPECint benchmarks with the Lynnfield-based platform, compared with last year's mainstream Core Q9650 processor-based technology, Crooke said.
Nvidia has become a Silicon Valley hot spot for rumors. One is tied to an analyst downgrade Monday, the other to the rumored Apple MacBook refresh.
An analyst rekindled speculation Monday that the world's largest graphics chip supplier would sell off its chipset business, while rumors persist that the company would play a larger role in an expected refresh of the Apple MacBook.
Nvidia graphic on its notebook home page
(Credit: Nvidia)Nvidia shares fell Monday after a Pacific Crest analyst issued a negative report on the company's prospects. In the report, the analyst said "our checks confirm" that Nvidia will exit the chipset business next year.
Nvidia chipsets--sometimes referred to as MCPs--serve as supporting silicon for the company's graphics processors. In the past, Nvidia has denied that it will exit the chipset business.
The analyst also speculated that Nvidia will pre-announce negative results for the third quarter (ended October). Nvidia has been dogged by negative press and analyst reports after it disclosed issues with its processors and chipsets back in July.
If that wasn't enough, Pacific Crest said Nvidia may see share loss in the notebook market next year as a result of a future refresh of "Montevina" graphics silicon from Intel.
But not all is lost. On the upside, rumors persist that Nvidia will play a large role in an expected MacBook refresh this month. The latest rumor holds that Nvidia is showing off prototypes internally of upcoming MacBooks with new Nvidia silicon.
Some are even pointing to a graphic on the Nvidia notebook home page of a slim notebook design as a possible MacBook design--though a more plausible explanation is that it's simply generic artwork.
Apple uses Nvidia graphics chips in its high-end MacBook Pros, but the MacBook and MacBook Air use Intel integrated graphics silicon. One of the latter two could be recipients of new Nvidia graphics chips.
Nvidia would not comment on the rumors.
Ask Sean Maloney about Intel's biggest challenges and biggest opportunities for growth and he'll mention the same thing: WiMax, the company's chosen broadband technology.
Maloney, an executive vice president of Intel and the chipmaker's chief sales and marketing officer, has seen waves of technology come and go since joining the company back in 1982. Recently, he got the additional responsibility of coordinating company strategy, which he said has "a good deal to do with the rapid pace of our global development."
Sean Maloney
(Credit: Intel)I had the chance to talk with him last week. Maloney initially touched on how the consumer notebook market is tracking the cell phone market. Just as cell phones are now driven heavily by consumer demand, so will notebooks be primarily driven by consumer demand in the years to come, according to Maloney.
Maloney also discussed how the shift in global notebook sales is transforming Intel into a consumer product company, and how Intel will respond to competitors in China and elsewhere.
Q: What are the biggest challenges for Intel going forward?
Maloney: If you look at the notebook market it's growing very rapidly. The notebook has gone through the same pattern as the cell phone went through in '97, '98. The notebook is becoming heavily driven by the consumer market. The computer industry has largely been dominated by business computing since the 1940s. Consumer is now dominating computing.
The percentage of our business that's in the U.S. has shrunk radically in the last 10 years and shrunk radically in Europe. The emerging markets are now the dominant markets.
We're about 10 years behind the cell phone in that pattern. Where the cell phone is now, it is very much matured in terms of growth in most markets. Even in countries like Angola and Mozambique, there is heavy penetration. The computer industry and the notebook industry is a decade behind that.
Q: In the consumer segment, netbooks (typically ultra-small notebooks priced below $600) are catching on in a big way, what do you see as the reason for that?
Maloney: Previously, someone in an emerging market, just went to a cybercafe. Now they can afford to get online themselves. In the mature markets, (it's people) who can't afford a notebook, like 8-year-olds to 12-year-olds. Or someone who wants to take something out in the evening but doesn't want to drag along a 16-inch notebook. The underlying driver is Web access. People spend much, much more time on the Web every day than they do on their cell phones. And yet you don't have that portability, so that pushes (consumers) in that direction.
Q: How does Intel respond to a chip like the Chinese Godson processor that has government backing?
Maloney: There's a long history of this in Japan, of state-sponsored computer research. And Europe, the same thing. It's not surprising (in this case) because many people see the microprocessor as the essential building block of IT. That's not surprising that governments want to put money in there.
It's potentially a threat. But we're fairly relaxed about it. We don't expect to be the only supplier. On the other hand, we've announced very large manufacturing facilities inside of China. We are a big player in the Chinese market ourselves.
Q: Intel has repeatedly touted WiMax as critical to Intel's mobile future, if not its future overall. So, how important is WiMax to Intel?
Maloney: It's very important to the computer industry, period. Because, if you look at the projections for the industry in the next 10 years, they are heavily predicated upon mobile computing and broadband in emerging markets. And even in the U.S., you still have sizable percentages of the population who still don't have broadband. In countries that are going to generate growth in the industry in the next decade, you don't have copper, you don't have fiber. So, you've got to have a way to get low-cost broadband. That was the design goal of the program. It was to be a low-cost, high-speed broadband network.
If broadband doesn't happen...industry growth will eventually slow down. If it does happen, growth will continue and new services will come along. It's an old story. Back in the '80s, we spent a decade trying to get Ethernet established. (As a result) we got client-server computing. We did the same thing with Wi-Fi, 1999 through 2002. There's been a long history of the computer industry needing standardized, high-speed communications. It's been a big piece of the computer industry's history.
Q: Intel said that WiMax has to deliver from 5 to 10 times the performance over existing products in the market to be successful, but mobile WiMax doesn't necessarily do this.
Maloney: The performance--I disagree about this. And you'll get to find out about that very soon because the network is going to start to roll out very soon. And you're going to see extremely good performance. And I'm certainly confident we're going to hit the design goals on performance. So, the argument on that one is going to get resolved real soon.
On the time it's taken...Actually, 16e (802.16e)--the global standard for mobile WiMax--was finalized at the end of 2005. We're now in 2008. So, it's a relatively quick period of time for this revision. 16d, which is the previous standard, is an older, slower technology, which didn't have as broad support. 16e has very broad international support. Subsequent to the standard being finalized, it's actually moved along pretty quickly.
We have over 200 networks in trial or being deployed. And we're very comfortable with the progress.
(Regarding) LTE (Long-Term Evolution, a competitor to WiMax). LTE is pretty similar technology (to WiMax) in many, many ways. It's some way off. We'll see what happens with that. As far as EV-DO is concerned, it's not a technology that's available in Europe or Africa or pretty much anywhere in South America and very little in Asia. Wideband CDMA is generally available but much slower.
All these technologies are useful. If I can't get a signal, I love EV-DO, I use EV-DO, I use all these things. But we're comfortable that WiMax is going to augment these things by being a lot quicker. We still feel comfortable it was the right program and we're making progress on it.
Q: Intel has been successful at integrating key technologies, such as Wi-Fi and graphics into its chipsets. What's the next big step in integration?
Maloney: More shorter term, the industry's concerned about multicore and integrating more of the conventional I/O and graphics capabilities. I think people are going to tend to keep the radio (Wi-Fi or other wireless communications technologies, including WiMax) discrete (as separate silicon) for a little while longer. But I think it's more of a business decision not a technology decision.
On the (current) 3G services, the attach rate on notebooks is very low. Actually, low single digits. The computer industry has a history of only integrating things when you get up to 50 percent or 60 percent or 70 percent of people wanting the feature. We are there with Wi-Fi now. (Editors' note: As to why Wi-Fi is still discrete, Maloney repeated that it's a business decision, not a technology decision.)
I don't see one technology replacing another. You're going to want to use whatever technology is available. Certainly, we're confident that there's going to be a big build-out of WiMax over the next three years. But people are going to carry on using the 3G infrastructure where it is. Or 2G infrastructure. Nobody rips these communications (infrastructures) and throws them out. They carry on being used.
The traffic growth is very, very high. We're still looking at 50 percent per year traffic growth. Those are really big numbers and we're going to need a lot of bandwidth and a lot of technology to supply that."
Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday announced the availability of silicon targeted at the "performance" gaming community.
The new 790GX chipset is slotted below the existing, higher-end 790FX, which is targeted at the ultra-enthusiast game segment.
The 790GX allows gamers to safely run Phenom-processor-based systems at speeds of more than 3.0GHz using a technology AMD calls "Advanced Clock Calibration." A processor rated at 2.5GHz, for example, can be "overclocked" to run at 3.2GHz to get better performance in games.
AMD Advanced Clock Calibration boosts processor clock speed
(Credit: AMD)"Significant tuning enhancements via Advanced Clock Calibration...introduced with the AMD 790GX make it the best platform for unlocking maximum AMD Phenom processor performance," AMD said in a statement.
AMD has enhanced the part of the chipset called the southbridge to achieve this extra performance.
"Performance cache" memory technology, which places a discrete memory chip on the motherboard, boosts video performance, the company said.
The 790GX chipset integrates an ATI Radeon HD 3300 graphics processor but can also scale up to high-end ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics cards, AMD said.
Major system makers such as Asus, Foxconn, and Gigabyte Technology are supporting the 790GX. "We share AMD's commitment to raise the performance bar," Asus said in a statement.
A high-end motherboard built around the 790GX combined with a quad-core X4 9850 2.5-GHz Phenom processor is priced at $355. By comparison, a motherboard based on Intel's P45 chipset with an Intel quad-core Q9300 (2.5GHz) is about $90 more, AMD claims.
There was relatively little said Monday at the Centrino 2 launch about new processors. Almost as little as was said about side shows such as a "Montevina" desktop design. The main attraction was the Centrino 2 chipset.
HP 6730b Centrino 2 business notebook
(Credit: Intel)Why? There's not a whole lot that's new about the processors other than faster speeds and improved power efficiency: the new "P" series chips have a thermal envelope of 25 watts versus 35 watts for the previous generation.
The focus of the Centrino 2 launch returned repeatedly to the chipset and accompanying silicon: namely, the Intel 4 Series Express chipset and 802.11n and WiMax wireless chips. And if Intel can be believed, shipments of the Centrino 2 integrated graphics silicon--"GM" chipsets--have already begun and systems may be available as early as the end of this month.
"We are already shipping integrated graphics and you will see integrated graphics on the shelf in the coming weeks," said Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms Group, speaking at the Centrino 2 launch in San Francisco. This is a departure from previous Intel statements.
Intel chipsets with integrated graphics and other chipsets that support separate "discrete" graphics chips will ship in as many as 250 laptops, Eden said.
Advanced Micro Devices would chime in here and say that it has doubled the number of "all AMD" (AMD processors, chipsets, and graphics) laptops with its Puma platform. "The key thing is we're in market today via Puma," said Pat Moorhead, vice president of Advanced Marketing at AMD. (More counterpoints here at Moorhead's blog.)
Though Eden touted 1.7X better 3DMark performance, and a host of other improved benchmarks over the previous Centrino platform, he spent most of the time Monday talking about features of the Centrino 2 chipset, including hardware accelerators for playback of Blue-ray video (the ability to view a two-hour Blue-ray movie on a typical laptop battery), faster transcoding (converting, for example, audio from one format to another), and Intel "Switchable Graphics," which allows the turning off and on of a discrete graphics chip. The latter is a power-saving feature because integrated graphics uses less power than a higher-performance discrete graphics chip from Nvidia or AMD-ATI.
AMD has something very similar already called "ATI PowerXpress Technology" that provides high-performance discrete graphics when plugged into a power source, then dynamically switches to integrated graphics when unplugged, saving up to 90 minutes of battery life, AMD claims.
Intel Switchable Graphics
(Credit: Intel)Then there's WiMax. A sore subject with Intel--Eden referred to "vicious rumors" about WiMax. Though Intel is still a bit cagey about the launch of the WiMax infrastructure, Eden brought out Barry West, chief technology officer of Sprint Nextel and president of the company's new WiMax division, Xohm Networks, to talk about the upcoming WiMax launch in Baltimore, Maryland in September with "150 plus sites."
The Intel WiMAXWiFi Link 5350 silicon will be available for Centrino 2 laptops "in the second half of 2008," according to Intel.
On the gaming front, Intel announced that in addition to a new X9100 Extreme mobile processor (3.06GHz) shipping now, the first quad-core mobile processor will be available within 90 days.
Finally, Intel showed a desktop "Montevina" design. that wasn't much bigger than a cigar box.
Intel Centrino 2 processor pricing as follows*:
--X9100** (3.06GHz): $851.
--T9600 (2.8GHz): $530
--P9500 (2.53GHz): $348
--T9400 (2.53Ghz): $316
--P8600 (2.4GHz): $241
--P8400 (2.26GHz): $209
*The P prefix indicates a 25-watt thermal envelope, T series is 35 watts, and X "Extreme" series is 45 watts.
**X9100 will be followed by the first quad-core mobile processor "within 90 days."
Intel has launched a Web site to help game and visual content developers create software for its graphics silicon and processors. Intel's next-generation Larrabee graphics chip is also slated to become part of the focus.
"Supporting the new Intel 4 Series chipset family introduced at Computex, Intel has launched the Intel Visual Computing Developer Community, a technical resource to enable developers...to create innovative graphics and video applications," Intel said in a statement.
The Intel 4 Series includes the G45 Express chipset and GMA X4500HD graphics media accelerator, which has built-in support for Blu-ray 1080p high-definition video playback. The chipset also supports Microsoft DirectX 10 and game-centric graphics technologies such as Shader Model 4.0.
Intel says these improvements deliver "everyday gameplay for the most popular game titles."
Intel Visual Developer Community Web site
(Credit: Intel)Intel is clearly ratcheting up its presence in the gaming and visual computing segments. In a video posted on the site, Roger Chandler, director of marketing for the Visual Computing Software Division, said that though Intel works with developers in the digital content creation space, "We're really focused on the game industry...The big focus we have right now is the game space."
Chandler's team is focused on processors, integrated graphics products, and mobile platforms.
"We're entering this era where folks have been so focused on making games look real, (but) they're now realizing that we need to make them act real," he said. Chandler cited artificial intelligence and game physics as two pillars of this "act real" strategy.
The video also indicated that the upcoming Larrabee graphics platform looms large. "This effort is supporting a platform we don't talk about all that much--Larrabee," said Paul Steinberg of Intel, who participated in the video. Intel has described Larrabee as a "many core" Intel Architecture graphics chip that is expected to debut in the second half of 2009.
The site also contains white papers on high definition audio and video, discussion forums, blogs, and wikis, Intel said.
Intel will delay the introduction of its highly anticipated "Montevina" Centrino 2 mobile chips due to technical and certification problems, the chipmaker said Tuesday.
The initial rollout won't take place until July 14. The next phase will take place in August.
Intel had recently been saying that the Centrino 2 mobile platform would launch after Computex, toward the end of June. Centrino 2 features upgraded integrated graphics, high-speed WiMax wireless silicon, and native support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), among other features.
"Initially what will be available on July 14 are the (Centrino 2) processors and some of the chipsets," Intel spokesperson Connie Brown said. These processors include the "T" and "X" (Extreme) series. Other Centrino 2 silicon will come later.
The two principal problems concern, one, the certification (on the Centrino 2 platform) of the Wi-Fi wireless standard and, two, technical issues with the Centrino 2 chipset.
Wi-Fi is "not a technical issue. It's paperwork," Brown said. "There were mistakes made while filing and testing our wireless antennas." The paperwork involves both the FCC and other government organizations like Canada's IC, she said.
The second problem is centered on technical issues with the Centrino 2 "Cantiga" chipset and the Intel graphics that is integrated into the chipset. In short, Intel will not release a chipset initially with Intel integrated graphics.
Instead, on July 14, Intel will offer a "PM" version for discrete (stand-alone) graphics chips only, Brown said. The July 14 version of the chipset can be used with discrete graphics chips from Nvidia and AMD-ATI, for example, but will not have Intel integrated graphics.
The "GM" version that includes the Intel integrated graphics will not be available until early August. "It will be ramping by August 5," Brown said. The two initial versions of the chipset with Intel integrated graphics are the GM45 and GM47. Intel will also make available its updated Wi-Fi technology called "Shirley Peak" in August, she said.
Brown said the chipsets must be "re-screened." This means basically that some chipsets need to be rechecked to see if they have "an issue," she said. Intel is not specifying, however, what the issue is.
WiMax silicon is also slated to come out later, though Intel is not saying when exactly. The Intel module that combines Wi-Fi and WiMax is called Echo Peak.
The delay of Centrino 2 also gives rise to a broader competitive issue: Advanced Micro Devices is set to announce its new "Puma" mobile platform in the near future that will feature both improved discrete and integrated graphics. For example, AMD's 780M-based integrated graphics is expected to be very competitive with Intel's integrated graphics.
Note: Intel Centrino 2 processors expected on July 14 include the T9600, P8600, and P8400, running at 2.8GHz, 2.4GHz, and 2.26GHz respectively. A high-end upgrade to the current Core 2 Extreme X9000, the X9100, is also expected. The X9100 is expected to run at 3.06GHz with a 44W thermal envelope. Pricing will range from $209 for the P8400 to $530 for the T9600 to $851 for the X9100.
Intel said its employees are safe and the chipmaker has resumed operations at its assembly test facility in Chengdu while it analyzes inventory.
The facility handles CPUs (central processing units) and chipsets.
"Intel is currently analyzing its current inventory, work in process, and other factors to ensure that the company can best serve its customers," according to Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy, responding to an e-mail query.
A report had cited three Intel chipsets, the G31, G33, and 945GC, as being affected and subject to price increases. Mulloy said prices have not been raised by Intel.
Chengdu is 55 miles from the epicenter of the devastating earthquake in China.
"Our employees are safe, but we are working to provide support for them and the community during this very trying and tragic time," Mulloy said.
"We have determined that inventory on-site in Chengdu was not damaged and production is being shipped to customers," he said.
"The seismic assessment of the facility is nearly complete and to date we have no major structural issues," Mulloy said. "Intel has resumed manufacturing operations."
