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Netbooks aren't dead, but they're not quite the hip topic of discussion they were a few years ago. The focus on cost conscious computing hasn't changed since the introduction of the first netbook, but the maturity of tablets has. Intel still sees the netbook segment as a profitable one (for itself) through 2012, although I'm fully expecting the line between netbook and convertible tablet to blur after the launch of Windows 8. 

Atom has been at the heart of nearly all netbooks since the segment's inception. We've seen only one major platform shift since then: from the original 2008 Atom platform to Pine Trail. Pine Trail integrated the GPU and memory controller without significantly changing the Atom architecture. Today Intel is officially announcing its next major netbook platform shift: Cedar Trail.

While the original Atom and Pineview (Pine Trail's Atom) were built on Intel's 45nm process, Cedar Trail moves to 32nm. Cedar Trail's SoC shrinks to 56mm2, finally making it smaller than AMD's Zacate APU. The underlying CPU architecture hasn't really changed, nor have cache sizes (512KB L2 per core) or clock speeds (1.66GHz and 1.86GHz parts available), so what this is really about is a reduction in power consumption. 

There are three Atom CPUs being offered as a part of Cedar Trail: the N2600, N2800 and D2700. Just as before, the N-series are for netbooks while the D-series are for desktops. All of the Cedar Trail Atoms are dual-core parts, but they all slot into the same power envelope as the old single-core Pine Trial platforms (5 – 8W). The only exception is the D2700 which is a 10W platform. Note that this is the total TDP for the Atom SoC + the NM10 Express chipset (providing USB, LAN, PCIe, etc…). 

The spec breakdown is below:

Given the same number of cores and the same clock speeds, CPU performance shouldn't go up compared to Pine Trail. Since everything is now dual-core we should see a boost at the low end, but I wouldn't expect to see CPU performance that's better than Zacate. 

Cedar Trail now supports DDR3-800 and 1066 (up from 667MHz max data rates before). The bigger change is the GPU. The GMA 3150 used in Pine Trail was an Intel Gen graphics derivative (45nm GMA 3100), however Cedar Trail now features a PowerVR SGX 545 sourced from Imagination Technologies. At 640MHz in the N2800, we've never seen the SGX 545 run at anywhere near this clock speed before so it'll be interesting to see how well it performs. Intel is claiming a > 2x GPU performance improvement compared to the GMA 3150 in Pine Trail in 3DMark 06. The big question is Windows driver maturity, but we'll find out soon enough as systems based on Cedar Trail are in production now and are expected to ship in early 2012. Expect to see Cedar Trail netbooks from ASUS, Acer, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba for starters.

The new graphics block also includes support for H.264 video decode acceleration (we're still digging for specifics) as well as Intel Wireless Display technology. Note that WiDi support will vary depending on the system and price point:

Intel is expecting the vast majority of Cedar Trail netbooks to be sold in the 9 – 9 price point. At 9 is where you'll likely find features like WiDi as well as potentially fanless designs. Don't expect any of those new form factors at 9 until the later part of next year, likely coinciding with Windows 8's release.

Overall the addition of HD video decode support and lower power consumption are both nice features to have, but I'm skeptical as to whether this will be enough to carry Intel based netbooks throughout the majority of 2012. Atom is in dire need of an architecture update (something we'll get in 2013) and the netbook as a platform is in need of a refresh. I do hope to see some manufacturers taking risks with slim, fanless Cedar Trail based designs next year but we'll have to wait and see if they're any good.

KOREAN ELECTRONICS OUTFIT Samsung might be quitting the netbook business if a report on a French language web site is to be believed.

According to the report that we begrudgingly ran through Google Translate, Samsung has told its partners of its plans to shuffle off the netbook business in 2012 and will focus on ultrabooks and ultraportable 11.6 and 12 inch models instead.

“Following the introduction of our new strategy in 2012, we stop the product range in 10.1 [inch] (Netbook) in Q1 2012 for the benefit of Ultraportables products (11.6 and 12 inches) and ultrabooks to be launched in 2012,” says the email that is reproduced at the Blogeee.net web site.

We’ve asked Samsung to comment and perhaps confirm that this is the case, and are waiting for a response.

In the meantime we can speculate about the decision and suggest that it might be a reflection of what has been acknowledged for some time – that netbooks are pretty boring when compared to tablets and, despite not being like for like equivalents, have become so in the minds of punters, who often prefer the latter.

While netbooks might have had their day, the same is not said about ultrabooks, and analysts who are paid to do this sort of thing are already suggesting that they will swagger into the sales charts and waltz off with just under half of the market within a couple of years.

Samsung also has a stake in the tablet market, but there it has found itself bogged down in ongoing patent disputes with Apple over its designs. µ

Here at IDF, Intel has been promoting the Atom platform pretty heavily, with the new dual core Atom N550 and all of the new Moorestown-based chips like the CE4200 and E6xx series. They’ve been demoing quite a few of the latest netbooks and tablets from their partners, including the OpenPeak Moorestown device we looked at on Monday, but for the most part the devices have been running Pine Trail, like the WeTab from yesterday's keynote.

Read on to see more of what Intel has been showing off on the show floor.

We’ve seen more than our fair share of Pine Trail netbooks since their launch late last year. Performance has never been spectacular, but battery life and portability have been strong points. Today we’ve got a look at HP’s Mini 5102, which marks a couple of firsts for our Atom reviews. Not only is this the first “business” netbook we’ve reviewed, but it’s also our first look at what Broadcom’s Crystal HD decoder can do for Atom. Read on to see how HP’s latest compares to the competition.

LAPTOP MAKER Acer will release a dual boot netbook in the hope that it will entice users to ditch Microsoft’s Windows.

The Aspire One AOD255, first shown at this year’s Computex, will feature Google’s Chrome operating system along with Microsoft’s Windows XP.

The hardware specifications of the AOD255 are pretty standard netbook fare, with a 10.1-inch screen, an Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive.

Shipping netbooks with multiple operating systems should allow for better alternatives to Microsoft’s Windows to finally reappear on the pint sized devices. Although Asus initially loaded its EeePCs with Linux, Microsoft managed to barge in and get vendors to load its operating system, with the majority of netbooks now sold shipping with a crippled version of Windows.

Though netbooks might come loaded with Windows, users do have the ability to install Linux, with dedicated distributions aimed at netbook users. Canonical’s Ubuntu Netbook Edition has proven to be a popular choice, marrying ease of use with the security, speed and stability of the Linux kernel.

Acer has said that the AOD255 will be priced at 5 (£235) though did not announce when the netbook will be available. µ