Intel Exiting the PC Business as it Stops Investment in the Intel NUC
https:// www.servethehome.com /intel-exiting-the-pc-business-as-it-stops-investment-in-the-intel-nuc/ Intel Exiting the PC Business as it Stops Investment in the Intel NUC
One of the few things I've actually liked from Intel. Of course it's not profitable enough.
I hate that "profit" is the driving decision on everything. Does this product have value for our customer? Do our customers like this product. I actually know dozens of folks who enjoy and use NUCs. For hobbies, for work.
One of the most dystopian parts of modern society is that we got co-opted into believing that companies exist to make their owners/investors rich when they should be a vehicle for a group of people (employees) accomplish a goal that's greater than an individual can accomplish. That means it's OKAY to make a decision that results in less profit if it helps to achieve the company's vision!
Providing consumers with budget friendly hobby PC's should be what Intel's mission is. Getting computing accessible, easy to use, compact.
Doesn't provide enough shareholder value 🤢
Edit: Also since this article focuses on Intel competing with OEMS. Why shouldn't the OEMs face competition? Intel introduced this format because OEMs were just shipping the same design and format, rinse and repeat like a money printing device. No innovation. Why? Shareholder value 🤢
2A really interesting alternative to the "profit at the expense of all else" model is a worker coop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_cooperative
I really hope these make a resurgence.
3This makes me think of the original Oneida company which was also a commune. I don't want to be that attached to a company but they flourished.
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But isn't ARM just a hell of a lot better than any of these intel chips?
Everything I've seen that's small form factor and low power is going ARM, and the list of things not compatible with ARM is getting real small.
0Lower power is ARM, but aren't X86 CPUs not still a lot faster? (While my Raspberry Pi 4 can barely run a Minecraft server, my 50$ SFF can run 2 servers at the same time and still has plenty of CPU cycles left)
Power consumption is higher ofcourse, but I exchanged 3 Pi's (3*10W) with one SFF (25W) so it's fine :-)
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Providing consumers with budget friendly hobby PC’s should be what Intel’s mission is.
As a publicly traded, for-profit entity, it's mission is to create value for shareholders. Shareholder value is its product, not computers or microchips. Those are nothing more than strategies for creating that shareholder value.
0Exactly. That's the "problem". It's a vehicle for greed not efficiency. Why because efficiency is defined by your intended effect. The cost of the world's resources, employees quality of life are all sacrificed for ever intensifying levels of "profit" efficiency. Which is absorbed by who?
The largest investors in the world for the most part.
It's a pipeline of inequality. Systems that were intended to be open and give power to the majority circumvented to look fair but actually provision gross inequality.
And what is the culture? You too could be a billionaire if you work hard enough. If you just contribute to the same system that is promoting inequality you too can rise up.
Am I advocating for socialism or communism? No but it's fair to say that Capitalism has failed as well.
There needs to be something better / newer that isn't as vulnerable to exploitation.
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There are a lot of alternative tiny/mini/micro/NUC like PCs available now.
When intel introduced the NUC it was fairly unique.
1Got any recommendations? I'm still within the return policy of a NUC I just bought.
0I started picking up Used Tiny / Mini / Micro systems. I currently have a Lenovo M910q with an i7 7th gen running my frigate dockers. I got it from a local second had PC shop, but you can find them on eBay and Facebook market place often. Asus makes a NUC like box, and there are Aliexpress brands like beelink etc.
A lot of options.
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framework mainboards in dedicated cases could end up being a better option for making a small form-factor desktop with easily upgradable components
1For a hot minute there I misread, I thought Intel was leaving the business off making PC parts entirely, not just these small form computers. Really rustled my jimmies
1They make almost 50% of their revenue from their Client Computing Group, which is the desktop/laptop (non-server/non-datacenter) division, so it would be a huge WTF if they stopped serving that market!
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