Tablet king
ZTE T98
It seems that in recent years the vast empire of traditional PCs has been gradually losing its territory to the legions of late-coming but vibrant tablet devices, a sector in which California-based tech giant Apple Inc has for the first time gained the crown of the world's top PC vendor (as long as iPads are included in the tally). In the fourth quarter of last year.
Apple sold 15 million iPads and 5 million notebooks, accounting for 17 percent of the global PC market and dethroning Hewlett Packard, UK-based research and consultancy firm Canalys said in its research report released Monday.
This should be clear proof of the growing clout of the tablet device segment, however, tablets, if considered as PCs, are hardly on par with their traditional PC peers in terms of performance, and core processors in particular. While the latest quad-core tablets were showcased at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas early January, the PC world is already welcoming a flood of quad-core notebooks as well as the newest PCs based on six-core processors.
There will be growing market penetration of quad-core notebooks following wide adoption of quad-core desktops, and notebooks powered by six-core processor will also emerge in the market, according to US-based market-research agency IHS iSuppli. By 2015, shipments of quad-core notebooks are expected to reach 160 million units worldwide, accounting for 49 percent of global notebook shipments, IHS iSuppli predicted. This compares to 21.2 million units in 2011 and a mere 9 percent share of the total notebook market.
By 2015, six-core notebooks will hit 58.9 million units, representing 18 percent of the global notebook market, the research agency estimated.
This week's special TECH edition introduces you into some of the latest PCs and tablet devices that are powered by the newest processors.
Dell Alienware Aurora R4
Texas-based PC giant Dell Inc's Alienware line has long been regarded as one of the world's top-performing gaming PC collections. The Alienware Aurora R4, an update to the Aurora ALX, again lives up to this reputation.
While deviating little from its predecessors in terms of design and outlook, the newest member to join the Alienware family is way meatier in terms of performance. Equipped with Intel's newest second-generation Core i7 Six Core Extreme processors, the Aurora R4 is the most advanced desktop yet from the Alienware lineup. The base version of the gaming desktop is powered by a six-core Intel Core i7-3930K processor overclocked to 3.9 gigahertz, with 8 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM) and an AMD Radeon HD 6870 GPU with 1 gigabyte of video random access memory (VRAM). The high-performance version delivers even more intimidating specs, with an Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme overclocked to 4.2 gigahertz - claimed to be the fastest consumer CPU in the world - 16 gigabytes of RAM and a dual AMD Radeon HD 6950 GPU with a 2 gigabytes of VRAM.
The desktop computer's system is also Dell's first consumer system to pack the Intel X79 Express chipset, which sports a bunch of advanced features and is capable of supporting up to six monitors at once with AMD Eyefinity. The Aurora R4 has already been made available in many markets, including the Chinese mainland, selling for a starting price tag of $2,199, according to the company.
ZTE T98
Tablet devices equipped with quad-core processors have undoubtedly gained a high profile at the CES. The T98, from domestic Chinese manufacturer ZTE, is one of the latest quad-core tablet gadgets displayed at the show, demonstrating the highest specs for tablets at the moment. The 7-inch tablet device is based on Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor underclocked at 1.3 gigahertz, coming with 1 gigabyte of RAM. The new gadget, which has a WXGA display with a resolution of 1280 x 800, runs on the latest Android 4.0 operating system, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. It also features a front-facing camera with 1.3 megapixels as well as a rear camera with 5 megapixels, capable of 1080p high-definition video capture.
There is still no information about the availability or pricing of the new gadget.
Apple MacBook Pro
Apple, the newly crowned top PC vendor in the world, will hold a major share of the public's attention as long as the laptop arena continues embracing quad-core processors. To wit: The new MacBook Pro, expected to be unveiled later this year, has already gained a lot of interest. There are market rumors that the new MacBook Pro is likely to be equipped with latest processor line from Intel, with the high end of Apple's product line even rumored to run on new six-core Intel processor. However, more time is still needed to prove Apple's determination to update its processors.
Apple made a big leap updating its MacBook Pro notebook lineup in 2011 with Intel quad-core i5 and i7 CPUs, available in 15-inch and 17-inch displays. And it is expected that Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge chipset with lower power consumption will make it possible for 13-inch MacBook Pro to run on quad-core processors. The 15-inch starts at a price tag of $1,799 and the 17-inch version starts at $2,499.
LG A540
Computers based on six-core processors, though featuring extremely high performance, remain somewhat unaffordable for most average consumers, given the fact that prices of new six-core processors are still relatively high. The Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme, sitting at the top of Intel's Core i7 Sandy Bridge Extreme Edition CPU, retails for roughly 8,000 yuan ($1,268) in the mainland market, according to the latest quoted prices from electronics goods retailers at IT markets clustered around Beijing's Zhongguancun area, also known as China's "Silicon Valley." In comparison, PCs, especially notebooks that are powered by quad-core processors, are more affordable and more popular with average users at the current stage.
South Korean tech giant LG Electronics took the wraps off its latest quad-core laptop, the A540, at the CES. The laptop runs on a second-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, with up to 8 gigabytes of RAM and a hard disk drive of 1 terabyte. It comes with a Nvidia GeForce GT 555M graphics card. What makes the quad-core laptop particularly interesting is the fact that it features a 15.6-inch backlit full-definition display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, capable of offering a glass-free cinematic 3D experience. The gadget also packs an audio system with 4.1 channel 3D. The new gadget is expected to go on sale in the market in the second quarter, with its exact shipping date and price tag unknown as of yet.