Lenovo, HP, Dell Integrating SDXC Readers in New 32nm Intel “Arrandale” Laptops
Don't want to be obsolete before launch — Most laptops and netbooks today come with a SDHC flash memory card reader. One of the major benefits of standardization is the ubiquity it allows.
Context & Ripple Effects
The top three PC makers are standardizing on the next flash-card generation just as Intel refreshes its mobile platform: Lenovo, HP and Dell are confirmed to be building SDXC readers into new laptops on the 32nm Arrandale silicon, moving beyond the SDHC readers that are already near-universal on laptops and netbooks. The move rides the same Intel mobile cadence that produced its 2007 chipset roadmap and the mobile SSD and UMPC concepts shown in late 2007, where flash storage was first positioned as a core part of the portable design rather than an accessory.
Why it matters: standardization is what made SDHC ubiquitous in the first place, and having all three dominant OEMs adopt SDXC at once turns a niche high-capacity format into a baseline laptop expectation overnight.
First-order effects
- Buyers of the new Lenovo, HP and Dell Arrandale machines get native support for higher-capacity SDXC cards without dongles or adapter workarounds, while SDXC card vendors gain a mainstream laptop distribution channel they previously lacked.
Second-order effects
- Netbooks, which still ship SDHC-class readers, face pressure to follow the big three up to SDXC or cede the expandable-storage argument; camera and camcorder makers can treat SDXC as the shared card target across PCs and imaging devices rather than a premium option.
Third-order effects
- If every Intel mobile cycle bakes in the newest card format as table stakes, removable-flash readers stop being a differentiator entirely and competition shifts to capacity and speed tiers of the cards themselves — memory functioning as system infrastructure rather than a marketed feature.
The trend: With each Intel mobile platform refresh, PC makers are absorbing next-generation flash card formats into base laptop designs, converting removable storage from an optional extra into assumed infrastructure.