This is the big upheaval at Intel, which will review the names of all its processors. Gone is the “i” of Core i7, with the Meteor Lake generation the chip manufacturer will decline its processors into three ranges “Intel”, “Core” and “Core Ultra” to differentiate them.
It’s spring cleaning at Intel, which is facing competition from Apple and its M2 Ultra processor, an overpowered chip that will equip the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro. Indeed, the rumor that Intel was abandoning the Core i3, i5, i7 and i9 and that its new Meteor Lake processors would be called Core Ultra was well founded. In addition, the chipmaker will no longer specify the name of its next series of processors by “14th generation”.
The manufacturer is completely revamping the names of its processors and now plans to sell three families of chips: Intel, Intel Core and Intel Core Ultra. Thus, a Core i7 and its multi-digit versions can be called in three ways: Intel 7 for entry-level, Core 7 for mid-range or Ultra 7 for large computing needs. The company is thus taking advantage of this change to segment its flagships in relation to low-budget chips.
©Intel
Why is Intel changing the name of its Intel Core processors?
In the pages of The Verge, Intel’s branding experts explain that the word “Intel” was getting lost, and the Meteor Lake chips coming in the second half of 2023 offered an opportunity to change things. “When we looked at how the tech press, our retailers, OEMs and partners were talking about it, it was interesting to see how narrowed down we were to a letter and a number.“, explains Christopher Hirsch, director of brand strategy at Intel.
The company says its research found it was “Core,” not “i5” or “i7,” that triggered associations with Intel. Christopher Hirsch also wonders about the connotation of the “i”, which can above all remind consumers of its competitor Apple with the iPhone and iPod, products that marked their era. Yet bad habits (or bad luck) seem to continue against the Apple brand: Apple already has products called Ultra like its processors or the Apple Watch Series 8.
