AMD talks about its 'Fusion' iPad rivals

Fusion - due in 2011.
Fusion - due in 2011.

AMD believe that its 'Fusion' product has the potential to revolutionise the tablet market when it arrives in 2011, with the APU offering the processing power to make things like Flash processing and high quality video a breeze.

Fusion is AMD's attempts to bring its ATI graphics processors and the CPUs that established its reputation together onto a single die offering an accelerated processing unit, or APU.

With the Apple iPad's huge early sales showing the public desire for tablet computers, AMD's vice president of marketing, Leslie Sobon, told TechRadar that the company was already thinking about this type of device.

"That's all going to come to life in a very compelling way with the Fusion product," said Sobel.

"Think about the advantages you get from a power performance and a form-factor perspective when you can take GPU and CPU and put them on the same die.

"You get enormous power efficiencies which is going to enable, not only things like tablet and slate, but these great experiences when you use it."

Flash - will save every one of us?

Sobel believes that being able to cope with things like the much maligned Flash content that is rife on the internet, is crucial – and, obviously, a feature that Apple's iPad lacks.

"The form factor is one thing but you have to be able to have a great experience with a tablet," added Sobon.

"Multi-task, watch flash videos; there are things you are going to want to do as a user.

"People know what they want and web video is pretty much in the top three of every wish list.

"They might not think of it as web video – they certainly dont think of it as Flash - all they know it when they go to YouTube they want it to work.

"They don't want it to flicker and all the better if they can get it in HD or upscale it and that kind of thing."

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.