Nvidia CEO says Intel's Atom could hurt the hardware and software industries

[onethreehill]

Santa Clara (CA) - Yesterday, LaptopMag.com's Mark Spoonauer sat down with Nvidia CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, who had some very outspoken things to say about Intel's Atom processor, including "Atom could potentially hurt the software industry."

The interview is a fairly lengthy read, but here are some key points. We've highlighted portions in bold to make them stand out. The original article reads without such emphasis:

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/41252/113/

[Soulburner]

Jen-Hsun Huang, who had some very outspoken things to say about Intel

Well what's new?

[Easybeat]

From the article.

So what's wrong with today's netbooks?"

Jen-Hsun Huang replied: "The Atom platform is creating an installed base that doesn't run modern applications. It doesn't run anything well from Electronic Arts, it doesn't run anything well from Adobe, it doesn't run anything well from Microsoft. I just mentioned the top software companies in the world. So in a way, the Atom platform is creating an installed base of PCs that's going to eventually hurt the PC software industry.

"I think we all have to be very thoughtful about the proliferation of PCs that are inferior to what people think a PC should be, yet still is a PC."

Talk about protecting your own.

I could go into a huge post about the vast increase in bloatware but all I will say is this-

Why would any hardware manufacturer especially in the current climate want software to be written that requires less resources to run than its predecessors?

[Shintai]

Poor nVidia...not invited to the party.

[SKYMTL]

It doesn't run anything well from Electronic Arts,

Does ANYTHING out there run EA games properly?

[Calmatory]

Slower the hardware the better. No use for tons of software layers just to print and scroll some text. Heck, half a MHz machine can do it in a split of a second, but Firefox text lags with 1.6 GHz SC Celeron M.

[Manabu]

I think the message should be translated as “Atom is baaaaaaad because bloatware is slow on it.” And that’s good because bloatware companies needed a thwack with clue-by-four for a long time to stop adding more bloat and focus on pure functionality.

That is pretty much it.

[S_G]

I think the point he is trying to get across is that netbooks are not good for, *gasp*, gaming! Whodathunkit?

Netbooks are netbooks, people who use them just want to browse the web and type up documents. If you're looking for a small, but more powerful portable solution, then you're obviously going to be looking at 10 to 13 inch notebooks with much more appropriate hardware in them. And if you guys think software companies are going to start optimizing their apps for netbooks, think again. They'll just wait until Atom is good enough to run them. Microsoft Office runs well enough, but any major productivity apps (such as Illustrator) will still need the proper resources to perform simple tasks. It isn't worth the cost and effort to expand software like that into a small market like this. The software would cost more than the hardware!

[fiveprime]

Damn I was totally going to build a render farm with EEEs

[Qkjhfhaiguihfma]

Damn I was totally going to build a render farm with EEEs

haha i looked into it actually, when you can get 10 dual core atoms for the price of a single quad core i7 you'd think it'd be half viable

[hollo]

most people don't try to run games or adobe photoshop or hyper-v on a netbook.

though i wouldn't be surprised if bf2 was quite playable at low settings on an atom + 9400m
i used to play it on an athlon xp + 6600gt

[Zaskar]

Atom will be dual soon and probably quad core in the near future, if anything it might get software companies to stop having lazy coders and design their software to be more multi threaded instead of relying on 1 really fast core.

[cadaveca]

LoL PopCap games work perfect...let's be realistic here...most users of netbooks(and I know of 6 poeple now with them) are female, and want a cute little electric daytimer that has internet access.




what a load of bull.

[Hornet331]

Atom will be dual soon and probably quad core in the near future, if anything it might get software companies to stop having lazy coders and design their software to be more multi threaded instead of relying on 1 really fast core.

Atom is already dualcore.

[Glow9]

u mean hurt via and Nvidia

[ToTTenTranz]

Curiously, he didn't say bad things about AMD. And the interviewer got him very well cornered with that XboX 720 question.

[lowfat]

Atom is already dualcore.

But not in netbooks. I built my mom an Atom 330 machine and she uses it no problem for a 24/7 computer.

[Bojamijams]

nVidia: Wahhhhh

ATI: giggle

[DavCor]

I don't see what the big deal is, I've been witout my main rig for 3 weeks while ive been outa town and tweaking it right. All I have had is my Acer One with the 270 Atom, and of course it doesnt game (I'll jump on warIII and civIII and aoe2 periodically if totally bored), but anyone with half a brain will not buy a netbook for gaming. I bought it for three reasons:
1. Super portable (2.5 bls with 6 cell)
2. Super Battery life (5.5 hours on windows 7, 3 - 4 playing games, or movies, or music)
3. Super Cheap ($450 fully loaded)
Minus gaming and crazy apps it runs everything top notch (I regularly use photochop on it, and the only issue I have is the 1024x600 res bleh). While definately not my desktop, a netbook with an atom is the perfect compliment to said desktop.
I think nvidia needs to just do their own thing and stop crying about intel. They both make great products that half of us would die without.
I know I would.

[Shintai]

But not in netbooks. I built my mom an Atom 330 machine and she uses it no problem for a 24/7 computer.

This I really like. I wish more people did like you. because it does everything normal (non gaming) people need.

And I hope OEMs like Dell, HP, Lenovo etc will start to make office PCs with this. Office applications and Vista/Windows 7 works very fine and fast with Atom(Specially dualcore).

Alot of power to be saved on air conditioning and PCs in the office. Plus a much better office climate and less noice.

[XS Janus]

Its hurting the industry in a way that consumers will recognize that every thing they ever did on their PCs would still work just as well on their crusty old Pentium 3 systems if they would sell them with Windows 7 and package them with 22" monitors...

[safan80]

The netbooks are just to get more people on the internet that don't have computer already. It's like webtv but more useful. People will buy better PC when they need a better one. Nvidia needs to work on better graphics cards.. and if they want to tap into the netbook market they could make USB based graphics boosters.

[FischOderAal]

This I really like. I wish more people did like you. because it does everything normal (non gaming) people need.

Yeah. I just love those who buy i7-machines and mainly use their rigs to surf the web Guess energy is still too cheap, even in germany
Everyone in my family uses a notebook for his/her everyday tasks. I'm the only one that still owns a PC, which I only turn on for gaming (what happens very seldom these days).

Office applications and Vista/Windows 7 works very fine and fast with Atom(Specially dualcore).

Really?! All I heard was that Vista is a pain in the ass with Atom. I'd rather take a mobile Core 2 instead.

[[XC] gomeler]

Really?! All I heard was that Vista is a pain in the ass with Atom. I'd rather take a mobile Core 2 instead.

You need to learn to take whatever Shintai says about Intel products with a grain of salt Atom with 4GB of memory would handle most of Vista fine as most of the time the CPU is idling in an OS.

[Shintai]

Yeah. I just love those who buy i7-machines and mainly use their rigs to surf the web Guess energy is still too cheap, even in germany
Everyone in my family uses a notebook for his/her everyday tasks. I'm the only one that still owns a PC, which I only turn on for gaming (what happens very seldom these days).



Really?! All I heard was that Vista is a pain in the ass with Atom. I'd rather take a mobile Core 2 instead.

You cant feel the diffrence between a Core2/X2 and an Atom with HT on using Vista. Atleast thats my personal experience.

I had originally planned to use a Core i3 for HTPC with Windows 7. Now It gonna be a dualcore Atom 2 it seems.

Also the i5 I will buy later this year will set new records for me in lifespan I think. Unless I upgrade to a 32nm just to save more power. Or perhaps something with a potent "IGP" to save both power and space.

But simply imagine all the waste in both resources and power that can be saved by using something like Atoms in all the non gaming and non CPU intensive machines.

You need to learn to take whatever Shintai says about Intel products with a grain of salt Atom with 4GB of memory would handle most of Vista fine as most of the time the CPU is idling in an OS.

Thats not true. Vista is very CPU light like any OS. Its only memory and possible I/O they demand more of.