Saying Goodbye to the Intel NUC
On July 11, 2023 - Intel announced it was "discontinuing direct investment" in the Next Unit Computing (NUC) business. Much like it did with it's server business - selling it to MiTAC - Intel is expecting it's "ecosystem partners" to continue NUC innovation and growth. Asus will take over board and device building for it's current commitments. With that being said - the NUC experience for me will just not be the same. Intel announced the NUC in 2012 and then released the first generation of devices in 2013. The goal was to show that you didn't need some big tower PC to have a great computing experience. While Apple had introduced the Mac-Mini several years earlier - for the Windows/Linux communities at the time there really was no equivalent device. Based on what ended up being called the Ultra-Compact Form Factor (UCFF) and the 4" x 4" footprint the NUC was simple and inexpensive and allowed Intel to showcase CPUs, GPU, NICs, Wifi,