Maybe Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung and others are right to chase after decreasing nanometers year after year. Our poll showed this is the leading sign of a popular system on a chip, garnering 15% of the votes.
Building a chip on a lower nanometers has compound advantages – it decreases power use and heat generation, which lets you increase performance without risking overheating or killing the battery. You usually get two of those three as makers adjust the balance to suit a particular market segment.
Improved cooling proved a surprisingly popular option. Even though it’s not technically a…