Advanced Micro Devices has no immediate plans to release a processor designed for low-cost laptops, sometimes called netbooks, saying its not yet clear whether or not growing shipments of these devices will cannibalize sales of mainstream laptops. Some low-end netbook models use an existing AMD Geode processor, but the company hasn't announced a specific processor aimed at this product segment, apart from general plans to release chips based on a low-power architecture called Bobcat in 2010."We haven't announced anything for this type of cheap mini-notebook and we're still taking this wait-and-see attitude," said Pat Moorhead, AMD's vice president of advanced marketing. "The fact that there are a number of models coming out might give the indication that [the market is] growing and everybody wants to do this, but what's interesting is you pull back the covers and talk to people in the industry and they're kind of scared," he said.
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Will the market stabilize on 7"? 9"? 10"? 12"?
That changes how much capacity you have for thermals and battery, and probably how much graphics performance is needed.
Hard disc or SSD?
I could see, if SSD is the way to go, soldered-onto-the-board flash and a native-interface-based chipset might be better optimized than plumbing it through SATA.
Where will the pricing go? Is a $300 EEE701 the wave of the future, or do people want a $900 device?
What's the direction for communication? I want to see some mobile-broadband in the device (hell, sell me a net-top on a cell-phone-style subsidy), but what sort of part? Given all the talk of WiMax and similar technologies, will those be significant?
Considering the obvious direction is system-on-a-chip, it's important to make sure you're putting the right parts-- or the ability to handle the right parts-- into the design.
Everyone remember though: Tablet PCs were supposed to be the big thing.
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