back to article Cheap 64-bit Snapdragon hopes to blow Chinese middle class's SoCs off

The king-size potential of the Middle Kingdom's rising middle class has lured another tech company to tailor its offerings to the Chinese market: Qualcomm has announced a low-cost, 64-bit version of its Snapdragon processor targeted squarely at the PRC. "The delivery of faster connections is important to the growth and …

COMMENTS

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  1. MondoMan
    WTF?

    BeiDou needed?

    Why would BeiDou support be *needed* for strong penetration in the Chinese market? It's not like GPS and Glonass don't work over China, and BeiDou won't have its full complement of satellites up until years after these phones have hit the landfill. Sure, I can see it scoring some PR points, but if BeiDou support costs more, it doesn't seem worth it for now.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: BeiDou needed?

      You don't understand how the Chinese government does business, do you?

      1. Nick Ryan Silver badge

        Re: BeiDou needed?

        BeiDou support is definitely important for the PRC. Firstly, the PRC launched these satellites and it's important to demonstrate that they are in use, and likely important for use other than military purposes. The fact that this satellite network is not reliant on the goodwill of the US government is also a very important point and aside from the obvious military angle it is also a statement of place as a world power that the PRC is not reliant on external services to operate.

    2. Skoorb

      Re: BeiDou needed?

      Also, BeiDou is fully operational over Chinese soil, all they are doing now is expanding it to cover the rest of the world all the time.

  2. btrower

    How much?

    These sound pretty cool, but the article fails to mention how much they cost. If they are cheap enough I would like to buy a bucket full.

  3. Zola
    Facepalm

    64-bit, eh?

    Wasn't that ex-Intel now Qualcomm mouthpiece Chandrasekhar dismissing 64-bit ARM as a gimmick just a few months ago when Apple launched the A7? No surprise to discover he was swiftly sidelined where nobody need pay him any further attention.

    As for Qualcomm in China, interesting move but their market dominance is likely to prove a more formidable challenge to future growth in that region with the Chinese government already investigating the company under anti-monopoly laws. Frankly I'd rather see less Qualcomm and more choice in the West too.

  4. Frankee Llonnygog

    With support for so many GPS systems, this chip would be great for...

    ... DIY cruise missiles

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Headmaster

      Re: With support for so many GPS systems, this chip would be great for...

      Actually, it only supports one GPS "system". But it also supports Glonass and BeiDou.

      1. Frankee Llonnygog

        Re: With support for so many GPS systems, this chip would be great for...

        Thanks Mr Smartypants - now what's your postcode?

    2. regorama

      Re: With support for so many GPS systems, this chip would be great for...

      Sadly most GPS receivers refuse to work above 18,000 m of altitude and/or a speed of 515 m/s due to US export restrictions.

      1. James O'Brien

        Re: With support for so many GPS systems, this chip would be great for...

        While you are correct on those restrictions, whats to stop them from making a cruise missile which is a surface skimmer with a top speed of 550Mph (~245 Meters/sec)?

        1. Frankee Llonnygog

          Re: cruise missile which is a surface skimmer

          Possible next Reg aeronautics project? If it was rather petite and catlike, it could be dubbed the Tomcruise Cat Missile.

  5. Steven Jones

    Fighting the Hydra

    This rater shows Intel's problem. They aren't fighting one competitor, they are fighting many, all of whom have the freedom to implement ARM in whatever systems architecture they feel fit. It's something that flows and oozes into each gap in the market. It also guarantees low prices as designers are faced with multiple options from different vendors. It means real competition on both price and innovation.

  6. Robert E A Harvey

    Attention Ofcom

    FM radio, you notice. Not DAB.

  7. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Unhappy

    Never really understood the attraction of a hardware GPS..

    Once Inmos demonstrated software GPS at 10 MIPS 20 years ago I never really got why any modern processor could not achieve the same.

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