IDF 2013 is off and running, with the company lifting the lid on the products it wants to take it into the future. Below you'll find the all the latest coming out of the San Francisco conference, taking place through Sept. 12.
The biggest news so far is the introduction of the Atom chips previously known as "Bay Trail." The Atom Z3000 series is looking straight at tablets and the low-power computing market.
ThinkPad T440s hands on review
A full HD display, 12-hour battery life and a Haswell i7 chip - Lenovo has really pulled out all the stops.
The ThinkPad T440s is the luxury model in Lenovo's new ultrabook line. We took it for a spin on the show floor, and now we're waiting in anticipation to give it a full review.
Bay Trail: how it performs
Sorry - we mean the Z300 series Atom processors, as Bay Trail was just a codename. We got the chance to test out Intel's new chips for tablets, finding that indeed the company's performance claims live up to the self-imposed hype.
But can Bay Trail bond with Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1)? That is indeed the question.
ThinkPad T440 hands on review
Does Lenovo's Haswell packing ThinkPad laptop really last for 17 hours on a single battery charge? Yes, but only if you get a second charging cell. Even without, the ThinkPad T440 can claim 12 hours of battery life, which is none too shabby.
Besides a chunky frame, the T440 has some high points, but Lenovo has a lot of work left to do to cut it in the Ultrabook world.
Lenovo's new laptops
Lenovo is really making a splash at IDF, specially for the business set. The company announced seven new ThinkPads specifically geared towards its commercial customers. Haswell is found humming along, as are claims of better battery.
Wearables, future handsets and more on Day One
Intel came out roaring on Day One of IDF 2013. The company announced a new SoC family called Quark, designed to fit into tiny machines such as wearables. Though the company has no plans to build its own wearable tech, it floating Quark out to partners. The company also has a prototype bracelet to show Quark in action.
Intel also showed off a 22nm handset prototype, one that creates a 50% power boost and better battery life.
CEO Brian Krzanich also talked up the advancement of its 14nm manufacturing process, which will deliver devices with a 30% power improvement over Haswell-type Core chis. Devices with 14nm are due to start rolling out in 2014.
Finally, Krzanich announced that the company will have tablets below $ 100 (about £63, AU$ 107) by the holidays, so look for less power pull and more performance on the cheap come Christmas time.
Below you'll find out what we expected from Intel before the conference officially started:
We anticipate a conference close to Build 2013, though perhaps with a bit more focus on hardware. There will, of course, be plenty of time spent on the nitty gritty.
Does that a boring conference make? Not in the slightest. Intel had a bustling first half of the year, and we expected that trajectory to continue through IDF.
We're sure to hear plenty on Haswell, plus where PCs fit (or don't) next to mobile devices. There's Intel TV to talk about, and potentially some words on wearables. We're gearing up for it, so read on to find out what we think you should expect from this year's proceedings.
1. Intel TV time
Perhaps the most intriguing, out-of-box product cooking at Intel right now is its internet TV service.
It was way back in Febr uary that the company confirmed it was indeed working on a web TV product, with Corporate Vice President at Intel Media Erik Huggers offering this as to why the chip maker wanted to get into the TV biz:
"[You] need to control everything - the chip, the operating system, app layers, the sensors. That's sort of the reason why we're there. If there were platforms that could deliver exactly what we had in mind, we would work with that."
However, things have been fairly quiet since. The last real news related to ITV came at the end of July, when it was revealed in a Wall Street Journal report that an accompanying set-top box won't have facial recognitio n capabilities.
We hope, and fully expect, Intel TV (or whatever it's called) to be laid on the table during IDF. In announcing the service, Huggers said the group working on it was comprised of people from Apple, Netflix and Google. Add Intel's own tech savvy to the mix, and this sounds like a product with a lot of potential.
Like all good ecosystems, developers will need to be at Intel TV's heart, so look for some courting and coursing on how to develop for the platform at the Forum.
2. PCs make room tablets and smartphones
In case you haven't heard, PC sales are flagging, while sales of tablets and other mobile, not-qu ite-traditional computing devices are going strong. With that in mind, expect tablets, smartphones and the like to grab some spotlight time at this year's IDF.
Mobile devices have already gotten some billing in IDF's schedule of technical sessions, including a "Extending PCI Express Architecture to Smartphone and Tablet Devices" talk. What we'd really like to see is some news regarding fanless 4.5W Haswell variant that Intel has teased as becoming available in the coming months. After what Haswell did for the MacBook Air, imagine what it could do for the iPad.
3. Walking into wearables< /h3>
There's no way around it: Wearables have sunk into the collective tech conscious. We need only turn to Google Glass, the rumored iWatch and recently trademarked "Galaxy Gear" to see this is the case.
For its part, Intel has confirmed its experimenting with "novel display devices," with Intel CTO Justin Rattner talking about a situation where you could look to your wrist to read a text message instead of yanking out your phone back in June. Intel is aware of the potentia l need to change silicon to match new types of tech, Rattner said, so the company's mental cogs are already turning on that conundrum.
Will we see a new smartwatch at IDF? The chances are slim. However, with Genevieve Bell, an Intel Fellow at Intel Labs and Director of Interaction and Experience Research is heading the Day 3 keynote, we could hear plenty about the future tech.
Bell leads a team of social scientists, interaction designers and others in researching "new computing experiences that are centered on people's needs and desires," according to her IDF bio. Could she hold the key to the wearable conversation?
4. State of the Thunderbolt address
The introduction of Thunderbolt promised a universal port with amazing data transfer speeds, and the recent bump up to Thunderbolt 2 pushed it to rates of 20GBps. Now that we're entering the age of 4K video, those transfer speeds actually have a practical use, besides trying to trump USB on a spec sheet.
Despite its raw power, Thunderbolt hasn't taken the world by storm. It's not on a lot of everyday devices, but Intel has managed to sell Apple on it. The Mac maker has been one of its biggest proponents, putting the little port that can on its MacBook Air, and six of them on the dramatically redesigned Mac Pro (the one that looks like a shiny black cylinder).
Still, Intel has more s elling to do, which is likely it has multiple sessions of its "Thunderbolt 2 Technology: New Capabilities and Features" talk scheduled. Godspeed little port, godspeed.
5. Unmasking more with Ultrabooks
Ultrabooks are sure to be a focus of this year's IDF. There are a few, not-so-subtle clues pointing us toward this expectation.
For one, on IDF's homepage, there's a dedicated link to the wonderful world of the two-in-one device. In a series of short clips, we see why Ultrabooks trounce traditional laptops. OK, it's a hokey marketing ploy, but every 'book shown is running Windows 8. Perhaps IDF holds a new Windows 8.1 product for expectant consumers? The timing would line up with W8.1's anticipated fall release.
What's more, Kirk Skaugen, a senior vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group, is due to speak during Day One's keynote. According to his bio, Skaugen is "leading Intel's efforts in once again transforming the personal computer industry with the Ultrabook."
Once again? Transforming? Sounds like there's some product-related potential here, and we wouldn't be surprised if Haswell chips are leading the charge.
6. Haswell in the house
Speaking of Haswell - as if we haven't touched on it enough already - Intel can't let IDF pass without spending plenty of time on its latest and greatest chip.
Sure we'll hear about it's power saving prowes s, but in a world where chips are sprouting more cores and competitors are nipping at its heels, how does Intel intend to keep Haswell competing for the long haul?
Part of that equation centers around new devices, such as the fanless tablets we discussed earlier. Intel teased these would be ready by year's end - could we get our first taste during IDF?
7. Hitting the Bay Trail
Haswell likely won't be the only processor pony hitching up at IDF. Intel's "Bay Trail" Atom chip stands a very good chance of making its debut.
Bay Trail is the company's next-gen 22nm quad-core tablet platform, supporting both Windows and Android. We heard about it at CES 2013,and it's due in devices by the holidays. Early September sounds just about right for some veil lifting.
Boasting double the computing performance of the existing Medfield Atom Processor Z2760 platform, Bay Trail should user in devices as thin as 8mm.
Intel has high-hopes for Bay Trail: "We believe what [Bay Trail] really does [is that] it allows us to get into these markets that we're not in, in a big way today," CEO Brian Krzanich said last month, as reported by PC World.
We'll keep our eyes on the Trail at the Forum.
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