Intel’s new UMPC platform – a real innovation?

Yesterday, Intel presented its new UMPC platform during the Intel Developer Forum. The new platform Intel improves the required size for the processor and the chipset as well as the battery life. Thereby, the new processors are less performing than its predecessors, as they offer just 600 and 800 MHz, while being produced with the 90nm manufacturing process. Instead of 12.3 Watt, the new platform now has a TDP of 9.3 Watt. Intel claims that now a battery life of up to 5 hours is possible.

In order to jugde the new developments, we should compare it with other ULV processors. Taking the C7®-M ULV processors of VIA, we can see, that they offer more performance while obtaining a much lower TDP. Even a VIA C7®-M ULV processor with 1.5GHz has only a total TDP of 7.5Watt, one with 1.0GHz, only 3.5 Watt, what is nearly a third of the newly presented Intel ones.

A real innovation is something else in my eyes. What do you think?