The main advantage of a pre-loaded OS...

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Lennart Sorensen <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org>

| > This was definitely NVidia's year.

| The new ones being dual or even quad core ARM Cortex chips with rather
| impressive 3D graphics support will be impressive.  Vastly more so than
| intel's pathetic video on their atom systems.

I know very little about that world.  Intel's Poulsbo chip for the
Atom (available for years) does have 3d acceleration (I think).  We
Linux folks hate it because there is no decent open source driver.
That's because Intel licensed the PowerVR SGX 535 graphics core and
didn't get the right to disclose specs of it.

I understand that there are a number of graphics cores used in the
non-PC space, that most or all of them are closed, and we rarely hear
about them.  ATI was in this space but sold off that part of their
business.

|  Of course anyone that
| wants a good atom buys one with an nvidia ion chipset.

Only a small percentage of Atoms are sold for systems with IONs (but I
have some).  I blame Intel.

In the ION's space, ATI's new Fusion stuff looks interesting.  See
this netbook, for example (it has been cheaper):
<http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/acer-acer-aspire-10-1-netbook-featuring-amd-processor-c-50-ao522-bz499-black-ao522-bz499/10161870.aspx?path=b0e001c0749c2a838407ee8a0e4a01e9en02>

| If nvidia could manage to grab 10% of the ARM market for cell phones and
| such especially the high end models that do lots of multimedia stuff,
| they are going to be making some decent money.

I've never understood the making money side of this stuff.  nVidia and
ATI have rarely made much money if I remember correctly.

Capturing geek mindshare certainly isn't strongly related to making
money.

(Just a guess: Apple was probably a customer that PowerPC vendors
should have fired.  I bet the cost money to the vendors.)
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