Intel is developing a 48-core processor for smartphones and tablets

Researchers at Intel envision a future where smartphones are powerful enough to perform tasks typically delegated to full-size computers today. And it's not just a pipe dream either - they're already working on a 48-core processor for smartphones and tablets...

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"..they?re already working on a 48-core processor for smartphones and tablets designed to replace your desktop or laptop completely."

Are they also working on a holographic 24-inch monitor, pop-out keyboard and mouse? Because w/o added miracles no phone is going to replace a real PC.

I am seriously going to put a loaded gun to my head if I can keep reading retarded articles like this. First it was the article about bringing Microsoft Office to cellphones. Now, were going to bring 48-core processors into cellphones. And my only question is, to do what?

So I can play Battlefield 3 on a 4.7" inch screen that I have to hold six-inches from my face to see?

Click....click...click...BOOM!!!!!

Software would still need to be programmed to take advantage of this, or else its useless...

So exactly what's the point? No software will be able to take advantage of that. In fact, most software can't take advantage of more than 2 cores as is.

All you need is a mini usb port that can interpret a 3 way split signal so you can plug in a mouse, kbd and monitor to your cell. Now you can play BF3.

First they need to work on the software we have right now to take advantage of multiple cores. I can count on my fingers the games and software that really stretches the legs of my i7 970.

Maybe Iron Man movies keep them going.
But I too seriously don't get the point. Why in the world would a phone or a tablet need a 48-core processor? I for one see the Cray family becoming unemployed if tablets started emulating the Big Bang.
Even desktop apps can only make use of 4 (or was it 6?) cores AFAIK. But I guess they're hoping software compatible will be written by then.

And unless they prove the battery life to be way better than a Galaxy S3's, I'm out of it.

I'd hope that this improves on the Motorola Atrix design. Where your phone is CPU and some storage. Maybe Cloud Storage will extend the phone as well. Then you simply dock at home or office and use normal keyboards and monitors while at the desk, and have the portability of the small display when you're on the go.

Or you just have a dock scenario attached to a normal keyboard/mouse/monitor and you're good to go...

Guys... Did you miss the "ready in 5 to 10 years" part? They've got a little while to develop the parallel processing parts of the software. Multicore processors are already becoming the norm, so a natural increased progression to multi-thread software should be expected. I'd have been more shocked if in 10 years we still only had something like 4 or 8 cores as the norm.

As for replacing your desktop or laptop... The big push is mobility and streamlined computing packages, so it's not surprising that companies are expecting the big bulky towers to wane over the next decade. Picture something like the Padphone, a small processor package that can dock into a variety of hardware to fill various roles, and you can see where things might be headed.

Exaaaactly...

People read what they want to read honestly. I for one really think this will help, as it's mobile based already. Meaning even other mobile devices could possibly benefit from such tech, as it's going to no doubt be refined into their general processes. We will likely see PC's coming stock with 6 cores, instead of the usual 4 in those years ahead. Given we actually survive as a species, with the constant wars we love causing.

There's so much planned for the future, people just are so particular in reading what they want. It's no wonder we have so many close minded people, just read between the lines and ignore the obvious. Even if they put it on a billboard, it would just be ignored despite all efforts to make you read it.

Im sorry but a smartphone or tablet will not be able to replace my PC unless they come with some miraculous input system--touch keyboards are *****ically slow to type on.

I'll just say one thing.. you can't fap properly with a smart phone.. end of story.

Why not just a dock at your desk that has those peripherals that you plop the phone/tablet into?

"And it?s not just a pipe dream either - they?re already working on a 48-core processor for smartphones and tablets designed to replace your desktop or laptop completely."

rofl

"chip ready for prime time within five to 10 years"

I would think, in that time, my desktop will have a 50" ultra super HD holographic screen and a 200 core processor running at 20Ghz!!!

Point being: portable devices will NEVER replace desktops.

Portable devices have been replacing desktops since the first laptop. That doesn't mean you can't still have your 50" ultra super HD holographic screen, though. That's just peripheral that can be plugged into a portable device. As for that 200 core processor running at 20Ghz... If the software doesn't perform any better on it than on the portable device...

Point being: Eventually portable devices will be powerful enough to handle whatever consumer software it needs to handle. Desktops will of course also be much more powerful, but won't be needed outside of super complex computational environments (maybe where some super computers are now used? Who knows?).

because one, that will add to the additional cost, and two, they still wont have the processing power of desktops

What will add to the cost? The dock? I don't see that as being a limiting factor. Plenty of laptops and tablets already have docks and they don't add much. The argument about processing power is irrelevant if they're both capable of doing what you, as a consumer, need it to do.