VIA Technologies, that has for years been quietly pursuing its business as the third of of the three official x86 CPU companies, is also an ARM licensee and today it knocked some common sense into the market’s thick head by unveiling APC, a $49 Android PC System. Â APC is powered by a WonderMedia ARM processor, integrated memory, storage…basically everything you need to run great video, play Angry Birds, and browse online.
$49 APC Android PC May be the Market's Next Top Banana in Affordable PCs
Not only is the APC low priced, but it consumes only 4 watts when idle and 15 watts at maximum load. Â It’s is tiny – a bit more than 3 x 6 inches. Â (The company placed a banana in its picture to show scale.) Â VIA maintains that most of the important things we are used to doing on a computer have been shifted to the Internet. Â The interface was custom-developed for this device and is spartan in a comfortable sort of way. Â We promise no one would get lost trying to navigate their way around this PC.
You may be tempted to call it a kin of the Raspberry Pi, a geek board, if you will, aimed more at developers than general users. Â But we think this APC may be the harbinger of a whole new attitude and that the market may truly be receptive now to a connected PC that has enough oomph for local performance but is perfectly situated in a world where doing your business online has become the norm.
We look forward to new developments at http://apc.io and hope that this announcement will attract industrial designers who will make a case for this tiny board…literally.
