Intel recently presented their new low-power Intel Core M processor, which is set to replace the company’s 4th Generation Core Series “Haswell” chips, the chip used by the majority of new PCs available in the market today. The Intel Core M processor is the first in line of the chipmaker’s 14 nanometers manufacturing process and is also part of their upcoming “Broadwell” series. The 14 nm production process uses the company’s most advanced technology to produce smaller and cooler circuits that will not require a fan. The new processor is meant to offer a significant reduction in Thermal Design Point or TDP (up to 60 per cent), as well as an improved performance and speed over current processors.
The fact that with the Intel Core M it would be possible to support fanless technology means that there is an open window for even slimmer devices than the ones that are currently available in the market. Manufacturers like Asus are already redefining the concept of thin thanks to Intel Core M with upcoming devices such as the Transformer Book T300 Chi, which is a laptop and tablet hybrid considerably slimmer than the MacBook Air. During this year’s Computex (a prestigious technology fair which takes place annually in China), Intel presented a prototype of the type of device that Intel Core M could power. The reference design is a hybrid called Llama Mountain, which impressed the audience for its extremely slim appearance.
The 12.5-inch Llama Mountain tablet/laptop hybrid is just 0.28 inches (7.2 mm) thick and weighs 1.48 pounds (670 grams) and Intel also showed an even smaller 10-inch version, which is only 0.27 inches (or 6.8mm) thick with a weight of 1.2 pounds (550 grams). Both models are designed to work with keyboard docks, allowing them to be used in laptop mode. Even though the company is not expected to market the Llama Mountain devices, the Transformer Book T300 by Asus (which release date is yet to be announced), uses the Core M processor and looks very similar to the prototype presented by Intel and it’s just 0.28 inches thick as well. Intel’s next generation core processors are set to be launched by the end of 2014 and will encourage the appearance of lighter, thinner and fanless devices.
