Intel Unveils Haswell Chips

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At the Computex 2013 event in Taipei, Intel debuted its lineup of fourth-generation Core processors, codenamed Haswell. The new chips offer very low energy consumption and will likely be used in many tablets and hybrid devices.

The Register’s Phil Muncaster reported, “As expected, Intel today took centre stage on the first day of Computex proper to launch its long-awaited lineup of Haswell processors. And Chipzilla heralded the new 2-in-1 form-factor – PCs that can turn into tablets – in which many of these new chips will find themselves. As one of the most widely trailed and hyped chip launches in years, Haswell has a lot to live up to, but there are some important caveats as to whether it can rejuvenate a moribund PC market.”

ZDNet’s Steve Ranger noted, “Speaking at Computex Taipei 2013 on Monday, Intel’s executive vice president Tom Kilroy said Intel has more than 50 different two-in-one designs in the pipeline across a range of prices, including premium ultrabooks using Haswell, and other designs using the company’s Silvermont microarchitecture. The company described the two-in-ones as devices that ‘deliver a PC when you need it and a tablet when you want it.'”

PCWorld’s Agam Shah added, “Depending on usage, laptops and hybrids with Haswell dual-core chips will offer up to 50 percent more battery life compared to previous Core chips code-named Ivy Bridge, Intel has claimed. Laptops will offer battery life of six hours or more when watching high-definition video, according to Intel’s estimates. In idle or standby mode, the chips will extend battery life by up to 20 times.”

Ars Technica’s Andrew Cunningham observed, “By the company’s measurements, a laptop based on Haswell should in some circumstances be able to get as much as a third more battery life than the same laptop based on Ivy Bridge. We’ll need to wait for actual systems to bear that supposition out, though. It’s entirely possible that OEMs will choose to keep battery life level while reducing the size of the battery (and thus, their devices’ weight and thickness) or adding other power-hungry features like high-resolution displays.”