Mobile systems continue to evolve at a faster rate than their desktop brethren, but most of the advancements are restricted to new features like fingerprint readers, built-in webcams, and other add-on features. The underlying platforms still trail those of the desktop in terms of sheer performance, though that gap is closing.
For example, Intel only recently began shipping quad-core mobile processors based on the earlier Penryn technology, more than a year after the first desktop quad-core CPUs strolled onto the scene. The four-core Clarksfield CPU, based on the Nehalem architecture, should arrive sometime in the second half of 2009. At least one of those parts should be a mainstream CPU, running on larger laptops (likely with 17-inch screens). A dual-core CPU based on Nehalem, code-named Auburndale, will also ship in the second half. Those will all run on a mobile version of the Ibex Peak chipset.
By the same token, the current Montevina and the even older Santa Rosa platforms will continue to be available, albeit pushed into lower-end segments.
On the ultramobile and netbook side, Intel will continue to push its low-power Atom processor. Intel recently launched the dual-core Atom 330, which consumes just 8W of power. The 330 is really two single-core Atoms built into a single package. Intel is planning revisions for later in 2009, prepping Pineville—the successor to the current Atom CPU. Pineville will integrate graphics and a memory controller onto the CPU, effectively turning it into a system-on-a-chip (SoC)
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