While that board does look rather dense, and the Spectre Folio looks quite interesting in general, 12,000 mm^2 is still pretty huge. For comparison, the logic board for the 12-inch MacBook is < 4500 mm^2 including the SSD.
To be fair to HP/Intel, the 12" Macbook only has two ports (USB-c, 3.5mm TRRS) and everything is soldered on. The Spectre Folio has a M.2 (NVMe) slot for a removable SSD, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB-c, and the 3.5mm TRRS jack. The TB3 controller set (3 ICs) is not insubstantial, and neither is creating clearance for a 2280 M.2 card. The LTE modem antenna escape routing probably added a bit, too.
That being said, that 12" Macbook mainboard is still tiny. I wouldn't turn down a 12" Macbook, though the $1300 HP and Apple are asking for these laptops is positively crazy.
I won't deny that Thunderbolt necessitated extra space, but I don't think the removable SSD was really a good choice, at least apart from cost savings. Would you even be able to open this guy up without damaging the leather?
There's also the benefit for HP, being able to change drive configurations easily.
Years down the road, inevitably some will try to open it up as well.
But I think the tradeoff is flexibility. You can make designs smaller, cheaper, and lower power if you optimize it for one chassis. Try to make a different one then you have to spend all that time doing it again. If you have a base chassis, you can switch between them faster. Smartphones and Tablets are generally very difficult to repair/replace components because its optimized entirely to make it as mobile as possible.
Apples MacBook board is double sided though; a trade off that takes up less of a footprint but is terrible for heat build up. I think for what this includes, 3000 mm^2 more giving you a replicable M.2 drive, many more ports and the built in LTE modem is a pretty big achievement.
That is some impressive integration. It's interesting to see the level of custom design work that went into what was already a drool-worthy computer based on the leather exterior and specs alone. I do wonder if a one-off product like this is worth the cost of somewhat more customized hardware, but the bean counters at HP and Intel must have seen potential in the effort.
This looks like where the technology is going, This does not state anything about Kaby Lake G EMIB but I feel it similar. But focus for light weight with LYE communications.
I would not doubt a similar XPS 13 2in1 is coming with similar package.
It may look similar, but there's an important difference. Kabylake-G uses EMIB. LTE modems do not require that high of a bandwidth so it uses a traditional multi-chip packaging, which have been used for decades.
Yeah, even Kaby Lake G only used EMIB for the HBM interface, which requires a LOT of pins. PCIe (which is the most likely interface for the modem) does not, so the CPU-GPU interface was done with regular old package traces, as you noted.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
13 Comments
Back to Article
repoman27 - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
While that board does look rather dense, and the Spectre Folio looks quite interesting in general, 12,000 mm^2 is still pretty huge. For comparison, the logic board for the 12-inch MacBook is < 4500 mm^2 including the SSD.jeremyshaw - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
To be fair to HP/Intel, the 12" Macbook only has two ports (USB-c, 3.5mm TRRS) and everything is soldered on. The Spectre Folio has a M.2 (NVMe) slot for a removable SSD, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB-c, and the 3.5mm TRRS jack. The TB3 controller set (3 ICs) is not insubstantial, and neither is creating clearance for a 2280 M.2 card. The LTE modem antenna escape routing probably added a bit, too.That being said, that 12" Macbook mainboard is still tiny. I wouldn't turn down a 12" Macbook, though the $1300 HP and Apple are asking for these laptops is positively crazy.
skavi - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
I won't deny that Thunderbolt necessitated extra space, but I don't think the removable SSD was really a good choice, at least apart from cost savings. Would you even be able to open this guy up without damaging the leather?IntelUser2000 - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link
There's also the benefit for HP, being able to change drive configurations easily.Years down the road, inevitably some will try to open it up as well.
But I think the tradeoff is flexibility. You can make designs smaller, cheaper, and lower power if you optimize it for one chassis. Try to make a different one then you have to spend all that time doing it again. If you have a base chassis, you can switch between them faster. Smartphones and Tablets are generally very difficult to repair/replace components because its optimized entirely to make it as mobile as possible.
Jeremy G - Saturday, October 6, 2018 - link
Apples MacBook board is double sided though; a trade off that takes up less of a footprint but is terrible for heat build up. I think for what this includes, 3000 mm^2 more giving you a replicable M.2 drive, many more ports and the built in LTE modem is a pretty big achievement.iwod - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
I wonder if it means Apple will introduce MacBook with LTE connections.RaduR - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
For sure Business Laptop.I was looking for one of these years ago and none was on the market.
Still just using a discrete modem should not be a problem.
jackywebdesign - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
Anyone else notice that the board in the bottom picture isn't even the same shape as the board shown in the exploded view?dogie - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
Because its a prototype from the design phase blogging.PeachNCream - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
That is some impressive integration. It's interesting to see the level of custom design work that went into what was already a drool-worthy computer based on the leather exterior and specs alone. I do wonder if a one-off product like this is worth the cost of somewhat more customized hardware, but the bean counters at HP and Intel must have seen potential in the effort.HStewart - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
This looks like where the technology is going, This does not state anything about Kaby Lake G EMIB but I feel it similar. But focus for light weight with LYE communications.I would not doubt a similar XPS 13 2in1 is coming with similar package.
IntelUser2000 - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
It may look similar, but there's an important difference. Kabylake-G uses EMIB. LTE modems do not require that high of a bandwidth so it uses a traditional multi-chip packaging, which have been used for decades.jeremyshaw - Thursday, October 4, 2018 - link
Yeah, even Kaby Lake G only used EMIB for the HBM interface, which requires a LOT of pins. PCIe (which is the most likely interface for the modem) does not, so the CPU-GPU interface was done with regular old package traces, as you noted.