Nvidia has just officially announced its new generation Ion platform, claiming the new generation will offer 10 times the performance when compared to regular Intel-only netbooks and an impressive sounding 10 hours of battery life.
Nvidia claims that its new Optimus switchable graphics technology is the main reason it has managed to achieve such an enviable power/performance ratio at such a decent battery life, seamlessly flicking between added GPU power and integrated graphics as users use different apps and programs.
Nvidia is already boasting some 30 design wins for the new platform, including the recently announced Acer Aspire One 532G (10-inch) and ASUS 1201PN (12-inch).
Ion 2, built on a 40nm manufacturing process, will come in two variants; one for 10 inch form factors comprising eight cores and not much more performance than the previous generation, and one for larger form factors with 16 cores and roughly three times the performance.
It’s worth noting that Ion hasn’t previously been targeted at 10 inch systems, but Nvidia seems to see a demand in that segment.
Pricing is said to be “at or below” that of Ion 1, with 12 inch systems fetching a slight premium.
See some of Nvidia’s video and slides below:
