A new question from the Q&A feature:

I noticed that the Nexus 7.2 just came out matching the VX III’s top supported resolution of 1920 X 1200. In the Roth Conference slides, there is mention of ArcticLink IV VX family for 2014, with a 2560 x 1600 resolution.  Samsung, however, just leapfrogged that in their new ATIV tablets coming out later this year, which will support a weird resolution of 3200 X 1800.   Now it seems that the new Jellybean 4.3 release has a hidden stub pointing the way to 4K resolution support, possibly with Key Lime Pie.

It would seem to me that putting a lot of development effort into a new 2560 X 1600 parts family would limit yourselves in the future, and that the supported resolutions of this new family should be higher.  I understand that this has lots of implications for refresh speed, process node size, cost, etc. but it seems to me that the escalating pixel war could limit your bridge and VX parts market even before they come out. Is it possible to take another look at the resolution for the new family before you put all the effort in to build it?

Your points are all very true — any movement to a higher resolution could/will have implications on device speed, process node requirements, and cost.  Also, specific to the ArcticLink VX CSSPs, you can’t forget power consumption, number of package balls, thermal performance, device size, package type options, etc…  Those are certainly all things to consider when the initial plan for a product is developed.

As any Marketing person worth their salt will say — roadmaps aren’t developed in a vacuum, nor are they or should they be etched in stone once decided upon.   No matter how much diligence is done prior to a ‘go’ decision on a product, a flexible approach to product development (including the ability to call for a sanity check at any point in the process) is essential to any company that wants to successfully sell products into fast-moving end markets like smartphones and tablets.   Be assured that our roadmaps and products under active development are subject to constant evaluation and critique.  When conditions in our target markets change, we adjust our product development plans when and where necessary to insure our R&D spend returns the best possible results.

GREAT question!  Keep ’em coming through the “Submit a Question” widget right there —>