A couple of days ago I went looking for Longhorn system requirements. What sort of system is going to be best for Longhorn users, and should we be designing with Longhorn in mind, or not, at this point? I didn’t turn up a lot, but this article at Microsoft-Watch caused raised eyebrows. In it, Mary-Jo Foley said:
Microsoft is expected to recommend that the "average" Longhorn PC feature a dual-core CPU running at 4 to 6GHz; a minimum of 2 gigs of RAM; up to a terabyte of storage; a 1 Gbit, built-in, Ethernet-wired port and an 802.11g wireless link; and a graphics processor that runs three times faster than those on the market today.
Yesterday, Intel Exec Steve Smith gave a speech in Las Vegas. During that speech he revealed that Intel expects
- 85% of its server processor shipments to be dual or multi-core by 2006.
- 40% of desktop CPUs will be dual core in the same time frame.
- The run rate for mobile CPUs will be 70% dual core by then as well.
Maybe Mary-Jo isn’t far off the mark, after all.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
