It’s kind of a big deal, but Intel (News - Alert) has, for some reason, quietly announced the launch of its new Intel NUC desktop mini PCs, and the buzz is that these machines will be equipped with Broadwell Core i3 and Core i5 processors. Intel unveiled new designs for its NUC computers at the Consumer Electronics Show this year.
Unfortunately no information on pricing or worldwide availability has been released as yet by Intel for the new Intel NUC mini PCs, and more details beyond the processors have been scant to say the least. What we do know is that all the new NUCs support up to 16GB of system memory, 2.5-inch drives, M.2 SSD as well as providing with four USB 3.0 ports, 802.11ac, a VESA mount, three year warranty and for some of them, mini HDMI and mini DisplayPort.
The gadgets of our time have all waxed and waned in sizes. We’ve seen mobile phones go from big to small and now back to big as they serve more as tablets, and now we’re seeing PCs shrink with time.
Opting for a mini PC brings some good benefits, the most obvious being its miniature size. With a smaller footprint, it needs less desk space, and who couldn’t use more of that?
Of course, mini PCs don’t just consume less space, they consume less power. This means energy efficiency, not to mention a quieter machine that produces less heat.
It’s not often that a new gadget category comes seemingly out of nowhere, but over the past year we’ve seen the emergence of a new kinds of low-cost or smaller computers, a lot of which have been aimed at the gaming community, but Intel’s announcement, while hush-hush and not really all that detailed, seems to be geared toward everyone.
Computers are transforming from desktop powerhouses into devices small enough to fit in our pockets. Smartphones and tablets haven proven that small computers can do a heck of a lot, leading some innovators like Intel to take note, and changing the computer market as we know it.