14 DAY TRIAL // Intel introduced the Edison all-in-one mobile computing modules back in January, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2014), saying that they were as big as SD cards. Now, though, it seems that the grand claims won't be lived up to.
Intel claimed that the Edison line of all-in-one mobile computers would be composed of products as small as the sort of memory cards found in cameras and other such things.
The Santa Clara, California-based company said it was possible thanks to the new Quark SoC (system-on-chip device).
Unfortunately, reports now say that the Quark isn't ready for commercialization, and won't be for quite a while.
It definitely won't be ready for mass availability by summer, when the first Edison products are expected to make their appearance.
That is why Intel is using Atom cores instead. These cores are the same ones used in current-generation Windows tablets and 2-in-1 laptop/slate hybrids.
They also happen to be cheaper and equipped with broader connectivity capabilities, so one could argue that there is no loss.
However, the chips are larger than Quark, thicker in particular, so they won't, in fact, allow the Edison to be as compact as an SD card.
This could throw a wrench in the plans of everyone who intended to use Edison in wearable electronics. Smartwatches, wristbands, fitness trackers, none of them will be as thin and light as they would be if Quark were used.
All in all, Intel probably won't be able to score big on the wearable gadget market this summer, not when ARM + Android is still a winning combination. Google's release of the Android Wear OS didn't help matters.
Sure, Android Wear runs on Intel chips, but as long as Quark still isn't ready, the ARM crowd continues to have the efficiency and size advantage. And as we all know, those two are the key when making a wearable gadget.
It's not altogether certain when Quark will be ready. Maybe a new wave of Edison, the true Edison shall we say, will come out in fall, around IFA 2014 perhaps, which will take place in September. It would make sense for Chipzilla to use the Berlin trade show as a launching ramp, since it will miss Computex (June) and the rest of summer.
All in all, it's a shame that the Quark won't be ready for the first wave of Edison. The extra connectivity in Atom won't do much good now that smartwatches are abandoning even USB in favor of Bluetooth and wireless charging (see Motorola Moto 360).