Intel recently revealed the new Apollo Lake, a low-cost PC platform that is aimed at affordable all-in-one PCs, mini PCs, hybrids, tablets and notebooks, which are all expected to hit the market in the second half of 2016.
The new Apollo Lake PC platform is built around the 14nm Goldmont cores technology and will feature a new x86 microarchitecture along with the new generation graphics core that promise to deliver an enhanced performance.
According to Intel, the upcoming affordable PCs are expected to be very thin. Most consumers want thinner devices such as 2-in-1 hybrids, hybrid PCs and mini PCs based on the company's market research.
By using Apollo Lake, OEMs can find various ways to "slim down" their devices. These include using a smaller battery (while keeping a good battery life which is easily achieved by Apollo Lake's great overall power); PMIC for great yet cheaper power delivery option; solder down Wi-Fi through Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi support; solder down eMMC storage; flexible memory options (LPDDR3 & LPDDR4 options and DDR3L memory solder down option); and MIPI camera that's compatible with devices built with thinner designs.
This is the first time that Intel has supported the use of smaller batteries, albeit the batteries have to be packed in devices that promote longer battery life by way of cutting the entire platform's power consumption. However, it may take a while for devices with smaller batteries to gain traction, as reducing the size of batteries will certainly be incompatible with power-consuming high-resolution displays.
Intel is also dropping its usual 2.5-inch HDDs and SSDs in favor of an M.2-based storage or a soldered-down eMMC SSD to make thinner devices. The company added that using solder-down Wi-Fi as opposed to a separate module should also allow some space savings.
The company also revealed a number of BOM (bill of materials) savings opportunities, which it attributes to higher level of SoC integration along with a recommended choice of components. An estimated calculation shows that BOM savings can be between $5.55 and $7.35. As a result, devices can have increased memory or a higher-performing display for the same price and even in the new generation model.
Intel came up with a reference design for the new Apollo Lake-based PC, which is none other than a tablet or a 2-in-1 hybrid device that comes with an 11.6-inch multi-touch display with a pixel resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. Other specs details include 4 GB memory, 64 GB storage, USB 2 camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a slew of sensors such as accelerometer, ambient light, SAR (proximity detection) and Hall (magnetic switching).
