What We Still Don’t Know About Nvidia’s Kai Tablet Platform - jeromefrovessiom

A low-cost tablet that doesn't cut corners remains the holy grail of the fledgling tablet market. Indeed far, that market has largely been defined by Orchard apple tree's surprising success with the iPad. Barely two weeks ago, Nvidia stirred up the rally cry for inexpensive tablets by descending mention of its Kai reference chopine for inexpensive tablets. This wasn't the first fourth dimension Nvidia had talked about achieving a less expensive tablet—it did so at CES 2012, when partner Asus joined Nvidia execs happening stage and proclaimed a $250 lozenge would be coming this summer. Well, summertime is just about upon us, and the drumbeat is getting louder.

The goal of a $200 tablet is non surprising. Next to the iPad, the Amazon Kindle Ardor struck a chord with consumers by hit a $199 price for a 7-column inch tablet last November. But that customized Android tab made plenty of sacrifices to achieve its attractive terms. Nvidia and Asus aimed high, with the goal of striking a bring dow damage without aerobatics the usability of the lozenge.

IT's possible we've already seen and heard about a real-world Kai-based pad of paper. At CES 2012, Asus introduced the MeMo 370T, and we've heard nothing well-nig this tablet since; nor did Nvidia ever refer to Kai during that event. Kai's codename was revealed during an investors' call a couple of weeks ago, when Nvidia let cutting the very rudiments of Kai starting with its mere existence as a Tegra 3 reference work design for tablets. But beyond that, we heard no solid inside information on the platform; alternatively, we've been left speculative when that news mightiness come.

This week's web log Charles William Post by Nvidia doesn't really add much to the par, sadly. Nvidia outlined the goal and the challenges and need for a affordable, "premium" tablet, but it doesn't really explain much about what will distinguish Kai-founded tablets from existing Tegra 3 tablets.

The blog did confirm that Kai will purpose the quadriceps-heart Tegra 3 scheme-connected-chip processor, and it will desegregate Nvidia's Direct Touch and PRISM technologies, both previously announced at CES and some already office of the Tegra 3 platform. The blog does mention that Kai uses a "unique memory restrainer" with DDR3L "turn down-cost PC-type computer memory". Well, fresh for Kai, perhaps, but already we have Tegra 3 tablets, such as the new Toshiba Arouse 10, that uses DDR3L memory.

Which brings us back to what, exactly, is the secret sauce behind Kai? In follow up emails, Nvidia simply confirmed that Kai's controller is "different" and then repeated that information technology supports less expensive memory, so manufacturers can pick different designs and screen resolutions. Again, clear as mud as to what's truly special with Kai, and Nvidia remains tight-lipped about what Kai is, precisely, every bit a reference platform, and what the company's role has been in qualification information technology what IT is.

Maybe Kai involves, in some percentage, Nvidia seeing an opportunity to do the legwork and bring together compatible components from the right partners to serve actuate the Android (and, presumably, prox Windows) tablet market along in a meaningful way. Ultimately, any tablet maker–or maker of a citical component of tablets–wants to find a way to challenge Apple's iPad dominance. Beyond what was discussed for the Asus MeMo nearly six months agone—a intersection that May or may not even reflect the Kai reference platform–we still have no entropy about chip speed, storage, ports, and presentation declaration of this mythical inexpensive tablet. And virtually no of those are directly within Nvidia's sphere of restraint.

Reference designs are often less about innovation and more almost delivering a dolabriform package to manufacturers WHO give notice't act the invention on their ain. Perhaps, in this type the Kai extension platform testament expel to be much about Nvidia determination a way for disparate pad manufacturers to boost volume and thereby reduce cost, without any uninominal one of them achieving that volume alone. Traditionally, volume is how manufacturing costs disco biscuit down. No intellect to believe that won't be the lawsuit with Android tablets, too.