Intel to relax its netbook specification restriction, again
Intel has time and again loosened its grip on what the OEMs should have in a netbook for Intel to provide them with the discounted Atom chips, probably nothing more important than this latest relaxation.
A main restriction was with the screen size not being other than 10.1-inch, but now Intel is reportedly rethinking this. With the introduction of the new Cedar Trail M in Q4, Intel is expected to extend the screen size limit to anything from 7” t0 12.1”. Also the RAM is not restricted to 2GB now, so expect to see Atoms supporting as much as 4GB of memory. The Atom N2800 already supports 4GB and there should be more chips available shortly.
Intel recommends 32GB SSD or 250GB HDD with the Cedar Trail-M, 4-cell or 6-cell instead of a minimum 3-cell version, and Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic, MeeGo or Chrome OS. The Atom N2800 will also support WiDi, a feature that will let you connect to an HD TV using Wi-Fi 802.11n.
There is a history of the machines coming out in the market before Intel officially announces its processors, so expect a flurry of netbooks coming out starting late Q3 powered by Cedar Trail-M and priced anywhere between $330 and $400 – as reported by MaximumPC.