The pace of innovation in the tech industry never ceases to amaze me. If you go back even five years, a “thin” laptop was still more than 20 mm, 4K content was only starting to take off and Oculus was kicking off its Kickstarter campaign. Compare that with today: Laptops are less than 11 mm, 4K content is pervasive and, with the advent of Windows Mixed Reality, VR is being baked right into the operating system people use every day.
This is particularly relevant as we get ready for today’s solar eclipse. The last time we experienced an eclipse like this was almost 100 years ago. If you weren’t directly in its path, you would miss it entirely – assuming you even knew it was happening in the first place. Now, people from all over the world can be part of the moment, and a huge number of them will be using their computer. But for those 450 million people using a machine that is more than five years old, the experience will be vastly different. Vastly compromised. Because they won’t be able to see the eclipse in the breathtaking level of detail that is possible, from the initial livestream to the vivid imagery people will create and share in the days to come.
This is what inspired us to push the limits with our 8th Gen Intel Core processors. We wanted to deliver the platform-wide improvements that embrace and enhance all of the incredible innovation around us – from 4K to VR and beyond – and make them more accessible to everyone. With that in mind, I’m excited to share the first details on how we are bringing this to life with our new 8th Gen Intel Core processors. We will start rolling out our 8th Gen family today, beginning with a range of mobile processors designed specifically for sleek thin and light notebooks and 2 in 1s.
This new mobile family sets the bar for outstanding performance, including a boost of up to 40 percent gen over gen1, and that jumps to 2x2 if you compare it with a 5-year-old machine. This is all thanks to the new quad-core configuration, power-efficient microarchitecture, advanced process technology and a huge range of silicon optimizations. These improvements also open the door to richer, more immersive entertainment, and an experience that is optimized for simplicity. The best part? We’ve been able to do all of this without compromising battery life. In fact, you will be able to get up to 10 hours of 4K UHD local video playback on a single charge.3
A few other examples of the profound impact this performance leap will have:
- Editing photos or creating a slideshow? That’s up to 48 percent faster4 on 8th Gen vs. devices powered by the processor we released last year. Now imagine that compared to a 5-year-old device.
- Editing video footage is now up to 14.7x faster5, so rendering what used to take 45 minutes on a 5-year-old PC, now takes three minutes.
- It’s easier than ever to enjoy your favorite shows in 4K UHD, including new content coming soon from Amazon Prime Video and Vudu, as well as everything already available from Netflix, Sony Pictures ULTRA and iQiyi.
- You can try out new advancements like Windows Mixed Reality or go even more immersive with Thunderbolt™ 3 external graphics (up to 4K) for enhanced gaming and VR.
The first wave of 8th Gen Intel Core processor-powered devices featuring i5/i7 processors will come to market beginning in September, and we expect more than 145 designs to choose from. But that’s just the beginning. 8th Gen Intel Core processors will continue to roll out through the coming months, with the first desktop processors coming in the fall, followed by processors for enterprise customers and a broad range of other options purpose-built for different segments. The 8th Gen family will even include some of our first 10 nm products.
Indeed, beyond the amazing technology advancements, one of the great things about the 8th Gen Intel Core processor lineup is the scalability. The wide range of options opens the door for endless opportunities for our partners and the entire ecosystem. That means customers will be able to choose from hundreds of designs, including all shapes and sizes. The common denominator across them all? Outstanding performance. Performance that helps people simplify everything they are doing today, while opening the door to the experiences of tomorrow.
