Quad Core; You know the score

With Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona well underway, as expected we're seeing a plethora of quad core devices making their way into mobile space. I don't know about you but I'm tiring of the hearing the term 'Quad Core' already. Over the next year it's clear that these powerful chipsets will become the standard for both phone and tablet technology yet I'm am firmly of the belief that it will take more than simply doubling the process power to really win over consumers.

I understand that Android needs more power to function as well as it's competitors simply due to the nature of the beast but if we analyze this brute strength approach we find that maybe this shouldn't be the case. I'm not suggesting for a second that Android phones and tables migrate toward a more closed off ecosystem ala Windows Phone 7 or iOS but if Google were to focus on first providing a clean, reliable user experience across all platforms there would be less need for all the battery-sucking processing power. After all, Less is more.

LG were first to jump on the Dual Core bandwagon way back when and whilst I will admit that the Optimus 2X was a fast and powerful phone I was left more than a little under-whelmed with the device. This is also true for a host of Dual Core mobile phones that were released in the following months. It seemed manufactures had lost all touch with what it actually was that the majority of users wanted in favour of flashy tech, convoluted UI skins and uninspired hardware. As loathe as I am to say it, what sets the likes of Apple, and now Microsoft apart are their philosophies. It's these philosophies that are etched into every facet of their OS' and which appeal to users the world over because they are weaved with love and genuine care.

Although Ice Cream Sandwich is a major leap forward for Google's OS it's still a way away from having any sort of identifiable personality, the sheer power of it's ever evolving processors being the only thing segregating it from it's peers and when it comes down to it, brute strength simply isn't enough. I've been keeping a close eye on the Mobile World Congress coverage so far and everything I've seen is pretty much what I expected. Sure phones are becoming more powerful, screens are more visually impressive and whatever else but if you really dig deep you wouldn’t be remiss for believing that very little had actually changed in the smartphone world.