14 DAY TRIAL // Although the platform didn't manage to achieve the results that everyone expected it to, Google TV was a major design win for Intel as it allowed the Santa Clara company to introduce its chips in a whole new series of products, but the victory wasn't that long lived, reports suggesting that an ARM version of Google TV will arrive soon.
The move was confirmed by the ARMdevices.net website that cites an anonymous source at Google and notes that future Google TV implementations will come in either Intel or ARM flavors depending on the manufacturer's preference.
Right now, Google TV devices are restricted to x86 processors, most units relying on Intel's Atom CE4100 low-power processor for running the special Android OS.
However, there are a few downsides to using a CE4100 as Intel's chip is more expensive to manufacture than an ARM SoC.
In addition, some manufacturers, including Samsung, that also have ARM licenses and produce such chips, are forced to buy CPUs from Intel instead on relying on their own solutions.
ARM President Tudor Brown seems to agree with this move as it told journalists back in November that “If Google TV is to be mainstream, it must be built on a lower power system, …on lower cost technology.”
Since its introduction, Google TV has encountered all sort of problems, from less than positive reviews, to Hollywood studios blocking its access to their websites.
All these issues have affected sales, and Google (together with its partners) really needs to bring the cost of the platform down in order to make it more appealing to consumers.
So far, neither Google nor ARM Holdings have officially confirmed the deal.
If this is indeed true, Atom is headed into a world of trouble as the chip faces strong competition in all of its markets, especially since AMD launched its first Fusion chips. (via Bit-tech)