NVIDIA says the mainstream tablet and smartphone market is no longer their focus
Once upon a time NVIDIA made plays to try and get into any smartphone or tablet they could. With stiff competition from Qualcomm and other chipset vendors, they’ve found that task to be very difficult. They credit their hard hurdles to MediaTek even more, because MediaTek’s value-positioned platform wins out for many mid-level or small OEMs.
So NVIDIA’s calling it quits… somewhat. In a recent interview, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang talked about their struggles in the market so far and what they’re doing to adapt. For starters, he says they realize that competing for the “mainstream” smartphone and tablet market is no longer a desire for them.
“Mainstream’ could mean a lot of different things, but it sounds like he’s talking about every other chipset vendor’s need to hit every price point there is. He doesn’t want the Tegra brand to conform to something they don’t want it to be — their belief is that Tegra is a powerful line, and they don’t want to sacrifice that standard of power for the sake of creating more cost-efficient chipsets.
That doesn’t mean NVIDIA will be bowing out as fast as Texas Instruments did way back when, though. The company says they will get in where they fit in when it comes to tablets and smartphones, and will sort of roll with the punches.
Their main focus for Tegra is to power unique experiences, such as gaming handhelds, in-car entertainment and smart televisions and set-top boxes. They want consumers to think of Tegra as a supercar in a sea of affordable sedans, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I, for one, applaud NVIDIA for being able to look at the market objectively and work through their struggles to find solid ground and even footing.
NVIDIA’s CEO also discussed the hobbled start of Tegra 4i, the future of SHIELD and future chipsets. The full interview is at the source link if you’re interested.
[via CNET]