New Apple laptop to feature Intel Robson cache technology?
Although Intel only demonstrated its Robson cache technology in the fourth quarter of last year, DigiTimes is citing sources who claim that Apple Computer will launch a laptop in the middle of January that utilizes the NAND flash based cache memory technology.
Robson cache technology, which Intel demonstrated during the Intel Developer Forum Taipei this past October, relies on NAND flash instead of a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) for starting up a computer or launching frequently used applications. Some of the benefits of the technology are speedier computer boot time and improve battery life.
Industry observers told DigiTimes that there are three possible ways Apple can deploy Robson technology in its notebook, the most convenient of which would be to equip the device with a NAND flash disk on module (DOM) that would plug into an ATA slot.
"Another method would be a combination memory solution, whereby Robson is deployed on the HDD," according to the publication. "HDD makers would provide an addition density area that would be assigned to NAND flash."
The last solution, which may also the most direct solution, is to embedded the Robson-flash into a chipset or create an additional slot on the motherboard for such memory, DigiTimes said.
Sources have previously told AppleInsider to expect the first Intel-based Macs at next week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, which may include the first 15-inch Intel PowerBook.
41 Comments
I'll see it when I believe it.
Hard to imagine if the benefits would be worth the additional cost, especially considering most Mac users just put their Macs to sleep anyhow, thus negating boot times entirely already. And launching an Application is generally also a one-time thing per session. As someone mentioned in another thread, for the cost of the NAND chips why not just make more RAM standard?
Unless of course the use of the NAND chip is for a device that doesn't have a Hard Drive at all, like a Media Center Hub that streams all content from other locations.
We all know how accurate DigiTimes has been...
I wish. but from a development pont of view, I don't see why or how they would take up 2 new technologies (new to them) at the same time, too many thing can go wrong....
I can see the partial substitution option used for most-read files, but not a complete switch is a way off.
This isn't like flash memory replacing the 1" drives, those were very expensive for their storage anyway, so the low relative cost difference made it a logical switch for portable audio players.
Flash is still way too expensive to be useful for laptop mass storage unless you keep a very small OS and don't carry much data. I think it needs to cost 5% or less of it is now to be able to be anywhere near competing. At retail, laptop hard drives are pretty close to $1/GB now, flash is pretty close to $40/GB.