Content

1. Intel as still the main industry leader
2. About the importance of ratings (and DisplayMate)
3. Pre-installation of domestic software is an important and correct measure

Intel as still the main industry leader

Intel has been under constant pressure in recent years. The manufacturer does not meet the expectations of the mass unconscious. The recent Intel Experience Day made me all the more upset. I wanted Intel to rattle their weapons, hinted that Apple with its AMR is not competitors, the modernization of production is in full swing, money is a splash and everything will be fine tomorrow. And so far the picture is gloomy.

For example, TSMC, where AMD churns out its processors, has gone from 16 nm to 5 nm, although formally it initially lagged behind Intel. Intel offered 14nm processors back in 2015, and TSMC – closer to 2016. TSMC has already moved to 2017nm in 10, while Intel will massively move to 10nm only in 2021 in its 11th generation processors, and 7nm should appear in 2023. Accordingly, if we approach the matter from a formal point of view, then Intel lags behind other manufacturers (in addition to TMSC, there is, for example, Samsung, which can also make processors to order) by 2 generations.

Here, of course, one should not forget that the technical process is important not only as an abstract figure. For example, when the 11th generation was announced, Intel said that the density of transistors for its 10 nm would be 100 million per square millimeter, while the TMSC had a similar density only at 7 nm, and at 10 nm, the density of TMSC transistors was 55 million per square millimeter. millimeter. However, at 5 nm, the gap will already be noticeable, since the TMSC claims a density of 173 million per square millimeter. But the consumer is unlikely to see desktop 5 nm processors before 2022.

So far, Intel is firmly on its feet. The company holds over 60% of the market despite the onslaught of AMD. The company is loved and respected by all vendors and corporate customers.

Intel’s advantage and trouble is that it has its own processor factories. In order to remain profitable and modernize, the company needs to keep the demand for processors at a high level. And to keep up with this demand, you need constant real innovation that will force users to regularly update their computers. For example, the 10th generation of processors introduced powerful Intel Iris integrated graphics, transforming ultrabooks from typewriters into full-fledged computers. And immediately the demand increased. The 11th generation with even better graphics Intel Xe should also have a positive effect, and everyone who, for some reason, did not spend money in the pandemic, will make a purchase.

I think there is no point in talking about Apple with an M1 processor, since for Intel it is mostly a moral and image inconvenience. Apple has no plans or ambitions to outsource its processors. In the coming years, Apple chipsets will remain a local history within the 10-15% market share that macOS computers have occupied for many years.

Accordingly, Intel does not have many ways out of this situation. The first way is constant significant real and marketing innovations. Better graphics, separate processors with artificial intelligence, new solutions in terms of energy efficiency – in short, we need things that will be immediately noticeable to the average user. Innovation will be converted into purchases, keeping factories busy and modernizing. This is a fantasy path given the current state of the market.

The second way is to load factories by typing in third-party orders. Intel has some of the best, if not the best, factories in the world with phenomenal levels of quality. High demand is guaranteed. I know that someone will write, they say, who needs outdated technologies. Take a look at the TMSC capacity breakdown. 57% of orders come from 10nm and thinner processors. Intel will be enough to load production.

There is a third way, rumors about which have recently appeared on the network. Intel is in a state of mild hysteria and is looking for the fastest solutions. For example, the company is considering the option of outsourcing production so that, for example, TMSC is engaged in stamping the latest solutions. And Intel will either partially close its factories, or see paragraph 2. The decision on this issue, as they say, we will find out in January 2021.

About the importance of ratings (and DisplayMate)

More than once in my articles I have touched upon the theme that our brain is the most vile and imperfect organ in the whole body. Not only does it consume 25% of all energy only in rest mode (and this despite the fact that it weighs less than 10% of body weight), but it also refuses to work as it should. The brain resembles a shirk worker who does something only when the overseer hangs over with a whip. And so the brain tries to be at rest, and the tasks are thrown into the category of habits in order to reduce the load. It is for this reason that all sorts of ratings are so popular. People do not want to think (and this is not an insult, but simply a statement of fact), they just need someone more or less authoritative to point a finger and say that this is number 1, and this is number 2.

This is why the DXOMARK test is so popular. Simple and straightforward rating. What tests are there, how they are conducted, how relevant they are, etc., few people are interested. Although I suspect there is a lot of room for maneuver. For example, the photo shows the same house. But he was photographed at different times, respectively, the sun shines in different ways. For the human eye, the difference may not be fundamental, but there are differences in the photo.

The other day, in an article about new smartphones, I wrote that DisplayMate does not say that the iPhone has the best screen in the world, adding that the best is only among iPhones. And what started here. Firstly, it turned out that many simply “ate” the news “about the best screen”, and did not even go to the site itself, others armed themselves with a search and began to demand a clear phrase (because it’s out of tune with English), where it’s written exactly like this, word for word, someone even demanded to admit the mistake. All of this is sad and extremely dangerous. Internet users have learned to pull quotes from Google and poke such links in the face. It’s one thing when it comes to actual events, such as the flight of Gagarin, when a clear date is known. And it is completely different when the information received still needs to be processed, compared and analyzed. The abilities of an ordinary Internet user are no longer enough for this, but the strength to defend his wrong point of view is in abundance.

But just in case, I will say that DisplayMate does not make screen ratings, the company has tests and criteria, according to which the best screens receive an A + mark.

And if the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra received the A + mark after the release in August, and the iPhone received such a mark only in November (since it entered the market later), this does not mean that the iPhone has taken over the leadership. And there may be several smartphones with the A + mark. Well, if you want to identify the true leader, then you need to open all the tables with tests and compare the results, trying to correlate the numbers.

DisplayMate understands that in their case, compiling ratings is a relatively pointless exercise in terms of accuracy. Although I have no doubt that if they had entered a rating, they could have made good money, as the same DXOMARK does. DXOMARK tests some smartphones by itself, but if the manufacturer wants his smartphone to be taken for sure, then you have to pay.

DisplayMate has gone unrated so far. DisplayMate articles are signed by author Dr. Raymond M. Soneira, and there is a suspicion that he (as a Ph.D.) does not tolerate ratings, since he understands their irrelevance.

For example, the latest Samsung display has a color accuracy of 0.5 JNCD, while the iPhone has 0.9 JNCD. Does this mean Samsung has a better screen than the iPhone? On paper, yes, technology can measure the difference, the human eye cannot. And here it should be remembered that the screen is designed specifically for interaction with the human eye! The same applies to other parameters. And there are many such parameters. Probably only the level of brightness is noticeable, and then in certain conditions. So, in bright sun, Samsung’s 1600 nits of peak brightness will be slightly better than the iPhone’s 1200 nits.

Pre-installation of domestic software is an important and correct measure

Life on the Internet is toxic, but it seems that the mandatory pre-installation of Russian software on equipment is a disaster worse than the plague. Although, in fact, today almost any smartphone, computer or smart TV has some third-party applications. Samsung has Microsoft Office, as well as an application from Yandex, which can be disabled, but not uninstalled. We must not forget about the Facebook application, which is so tightly embedded in Android that it is already perceived as a system one. Xiaomi and Honor (depending on smartphone models) can have entire folders with applications, and even Nokia, which promises crystal clear Android, has a Netflix icon on its desktop.

The preinstalled Russian software performs several important functions. When the FAS presented the concept of preinstalling applications, the first place, of course, was the point about the development of competition and the transition from a state of natural monopoly to a state of a competitive market. This is a clear and absolutely correct idea. Being under the thumb of Google or Apple is harmful and dangerous for the Russian market, as it discourages the desire to do something in this area (and why, if everything has already been done in the West?), And promotes the outflow of promising specialists who are forced to spend their intellectual resources on technologies that foreign businesses will benefit from. Here, of course, the issue of patriotism also plays a role in the correct understanding of this word, when you separate love for a country from worship of the government or a specific leader.

But there are also negative examples of protectionism. Just look at Yandex with its smart speakers, which are significantly inferior to their counterparts from Google and Amazon. And while there is no competition, Yandex has no desire to fumble.

The laws of protectionism, if we talk about our IT / media topics, apply all over the world. In Europe, Google and Microsoft are being fined for monopoly, and Netflix is ​​forced to film local content with local actors. I remember how surprised I was when I saw that many series with Polish actors began to appear on Netflix. It turned out that it is cheap to shoot in Poland, and you can tag it “European content”. However, you shouldn’t feel sorry for Netflix, as the company saw that in general people like to watch local content and there is a demand for such products. A great example is the Russian TV series Epidemic, which was only talked about after it appeared on Netflix.

There are similar stories in the big cinema and in the gaming business. Especially when it comes to China. In China, quotas are clearly spelled out, and if a manufacturer wants his tape to be shown in a high-quality manner in Chinese cinemas, he must have both Chinese actors and local business in partners.

State regulation is also necessary for the reason that corporations often lose ground under their feet if there is no one to besiege them. A typical example of this is the story of Apple during the Steve Jobs era, when other companies were forbidden to sell books on their platform or install alternative app stores. If we can still agree about alternative app stores that we are talking about the interests of users, then the rest is a direct infringement. This assumes that the user, for example, cannot buy a book in the Kindle application, but he needs to go through the browser to the site and buy there.

Well, one of the main reasons for preinstalling Russian applications is independence. Relatively speaking, they took away Visa and Mastercard, but we have Mir. They took Instagram, TikTok and Facebook with WhatsApp, and we have ICQ, Alice and VKontakte. Let’s live!

What will they put on?

The Ministry of Finance presented a categorical list, inviting those wishing to take part in the selection. The criteria are relatively transparent. The programs participating in the selection must have at least 500 thousand installations, subsequently, the programs with the highest rating and the number of installations will be selected from each category. In each category they will choose 1 program, the category “Social networks” – 2 pieces (apparently, so that Odnoklassniki would not be offended), and in audiovisual messengers – up to 10 applications.

Categories:

1. programs that provide access to information on sites and search for information on the Internet (browsers);
2. search engines;
3. cartographic and navigation systems;
4. programs for accessing cloud storage services;
5. programs for sending and receiving e-mail;
6. instant messaging programs;
7. voice assistant;
8. news aggregators;
9. programs that provide access to online broadcasts and content posted by users;
10. programs for accessing social networks;
11. programs providing audiovisual services;
12. office software;
13. programs for the use of the national payment system “Mir”;
14. programs for the provision of state and municipal services;
15. antivirus programs or programs that have the properties of file and network protection antivirus programs;
16. programs for accessing the list of socially significant Internet services.

They were going to start the installations on January 1, 2021, but everything suggests that the dates have been shifted to April 1. I suppose now you can easily figure out which applications will be installed. In general, even the list is not bad. Perhaps only the antivirus would be removed, because there will be no benefit from it.

It is a little upsetting that the point from the FAS concept has disappeared, according to which the user would have the ability to remove any preinstalled software. In February of this year, there was news that the Federal Antimonopoly Service was developing an idea, but, unfortunately, so far no specifics. On the other hand, they say specifically about domestic services that they can be removed if you want.

What will be the consequences for Russia and Apple?

There will be no consequences for the layman. If a person is at least a little following what is happening, then he knows the word “google” and will go to search in Google, and not in Yandex. The presence of “Kinopoisk” or “Amediateka” on smartphones will not help defeat piracy and will not ruin Netflix. Russian ICQ and any other messenger will not be able to defeat Viber (it is powerful in Russia!), WhatsApp and Telegram.

If we take a user for whom smartphones and modern technology are a dark forest, then at least there will be intrigue. For example, there will be some domestic news application and there will be Google News, there will be YouTube and RuTube. What will the person use, what will he like the most? Riddle!

A year ago, when the initiative was announced, and several months ago, the Internet was fluttering. All analysts were asked to comment on the topic: what will happen? Is this the law against Apple? Will Apple leave Russia? They even came to me for comments. By the way, for some reason, when I am asked to comment on something, they begin by saying that your position sounds so good, can you comment?

However, nobody liked my position on this issue, because I said that everything would be the same. This is understandable – you can’t collect traffic like that. Another thing is articles about farewell to the iPhone. People need a hype, so even we could not resist. And the article is good, and the comments are encouraging.

However, I was right, and everything is the same. In iOS 14.3 beta 2, we found a code that is responsible for recommending the installation of third-party applications during the initial setup of the device. This screen will only be active in certain countries. Along the way, Apple thus solves the issue that it monopoly imposes its applications. For this reason, Apple is under investigation in a dozen countries. And in these countries, apparently, they will start offering to select programs that will be used by default.

At the moment, the most curious question is how Apple will be able to solve the problem of the item about the program for the national payment system “Mir”. There is no doubt that a solution will be found. I can assume that Apple implements the idea, as with browsers. It is well known that there is only one browser on iOS – Safari. And all the rest are more likely “skins” for Safari, but the engine is still the same there. Probably, something similar can come up here. The operation is, in general, not difficult, especially considering the fact that so far there are no applications. You just need to help someone grow the Mir app for iOS.

Probably in the case of Apple, the questions arose because of the image of the corporation, which is adamant and would rather abandon Fortnite than negotiate. And it brought down many. The situation, by the way, is funny because even here it has been said more than once that Apple is a greedy company. But at the same time, it is really difficult to imagine that Apple will give up its principles because of greed and fear of losing the market.

But these are incommensurable concepts. It’s one thing to reject an application (even a popular one), and another to abandon the entire market. Perhaps the abandonment of the Russian market could have happened if the company was headed by someone daring and decisive, like Steve Jobs, who did not care about the opinions of shareholders and did not pay dividends. Yes, and the times are different now, against the background of a difficult economic, political and epidemiological situation for Apple, it would be irrational against the background of declining sales in pieces to arrange a confrontation even with such a relatively small market as the Russian one.

Conclusion

After hot globalism and the belief that the Internet will unite everyone, sobering came. Countries and governments around the world have realized how important the Internet and all of its components are, and how bad it is when foreign services and applications operate on your territory that cannot be controlled. And the example of Telegram showed that in fact nothing can be done: you cannot block and discourage people from the service they like. On the other hand, the example of the confrontation between Huawei and the United States demonstrated how unpleasant it would be if something familiar was suddenly taken away from you. Accordingly, the single most logical solution is to grow something of our own and at the same time put pressure on foreign corporations. And even the most principled companies will cooperate. In recent years, too much responsibility has begun to be assigned to corporations, they say, they must be honest, and kind, and generous, and in general, embody the best that is in the world. But let’s not forget the main fact: a business was originally created to make money, and only then, if cashflow allows, you can think about saving the world.

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