Intel's Chip Naming Policy

[MacRumors]

Reuters reports that Intel announced that they would no longer be using processor speed as part of the name of upcoming processors.

Instead, Intel plans on introducing model numbers:

Intel's new model numbers give each Intel processor brand a series number. Within desktop computer chips, for instance, the low-end Celeron chip will be given the 300 series, the high-end Pentium 4 will be given the 500 series label, and its Pentium 4 Extreme Edition will be given the 700 series.

The move is expected to cause some confusion and require some reeducation of consumers.

 

[SeaFox]

The move is expected to cause some confusion and require some reeducation of consumers.

"reeducation of consumers" I had a flash of Orwellian 1984 and brainwashing when I saw that line.

"I'm afraid you've strayed from the normal mode of behavior in our society, we'll have to send you to a Reeductaion Complex to correct this personality imbalance"

 

[Kagetenshi]

But... but... but how will they maintain their lead via deceptive advertising?

~J

 

[mangoduck]

isn't the average consumer confused enough already? now they're using numbers that have little or nothing to do with speed, that only indicate the class of processor, and no other specifications along side... this is exactly what apple got away from (remember the LCs and vintage powermacs).

perhaps they're starting to shift people's focus towards things other than clock speed because they're stuck like moto was. i have a couple extra megahertz myths they can have for cheap.

 

[Abstract]

isn't the average consumer confused enough already? now they're using numbers that have little or nothing to do with speed, that only indicate the class of processor, and no other specifications along side... this is exactly what apple got away from (remember the LCs and vintage powermacs).

perhaps they're starting to shift people's focus towards things other than clock speed because they're stuck like moto was. i have a couple extra megahertz myths they can have for cheap.

Exactly what I was thinking. They can't keep the GHz increase coming, so they're changing their naming scheme to fool people into thinking that they're making huge progress despite the slowdown in speed improvements.

And I already do not understand their naming scheme. What happens if they increase the clock speed of a proc of a P4? Do they make th improvements without changing the name of the chip? That's what they do in the car industry, I guess, but now in computers as well?

And why the 3, 5, and 7 series? Hopefully BMW can sue them for taking a very popular BMW naming scheme that's very close to the identity of BMW. When people say "3-series", the name BMW should come up, not Intel.

 

[zync]

Exactly what I was thinking. They can't keep the GHz increase coming, so they're changing their naming scheme to fool people into thinking that they're making huge progress despite the slowdown in speed improvements.

And I already do not understand their naming scheme. What happens if they increase the clock speed of a proc of a P4? Do they make th improvements without changing the name of the chip? That's what they do in the car industry, I guess, but now in computers as well?

And why the 3, 5, and 7 series? Hopefully BMW can sue them for taking a very popular BMW naming scheme that's very close to the identity of BMW. When people say "3-series", the name BMW should come up, not Intel.

I was thinking that myself

 

[kpants]

Exactly what I was thinking. They can't keep the GHz increase coming, so they're changing their naming scheme to fool people into thinking that they're making huge progress despite the slowdown in speed improvements.

Not to defend Intel, but I think there's a bit more to this. To quote a news bit from Ars Technica:

Intel's Pentium M is near and dear to the company, and that this is the central impetus behind this move.

http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1079200740.html

The article basically discusses the noticeable slowdown in Intel's speed bump-ups, the growing popularity of the AMD 64s and the PPC 970s, and the importance of the Pentium M to the company's success. I think the M uses elements from both the P3 and P4, so it's not going to be a super fast chip initially, though it'll supposedly be better in the long run than the toasty P4.

 

[Booga]

Boon for IBM

So Intel will have their 300, 500, and 700 series... and IBM will be selling the PowerPC 970. I think IBM and Apple should do a pre-emptive strike in advertising their 900-series chip even while Intel is rolling out their new naming scheme.

 

[Highland]

Intel's Pentium M is near and dear to the company, and that this is the central impetus behind this move.

So they'll keep the 'M' badge?

Wow BMW will be so happy when Intel are branding their chips as 3-series, 5-series, 7-series, M3 and M5.

 

[crenz]

Wow BMW will be so happy when Intel are branding their chips as 3-series, 5-series, 7-series, M3 and M5.

If they're clever, they'll wait till Intel has spend loads of money on a new ad campaign, then sue them

 

[vpalvarez]

isn't the average consumer confused enough already?

Talk about an understatement

 

[Bakey]

Instead, Intel plans on introducing model numbers

Wasn't it Intels decision to drop the number convention in the first place, as Mr. Judge announced they [Intel] couldn't trademark a "number" eg. 386, 486 - all around the time when the likes of AMD and Cyrix began making headway in the introduction of their own flavours of the x86 line of processors.

Hence the introduction of the Pentium as it was a "name" trademark rather than it being called the 586 - and thus the beginning of the "Intel Inside" campaign.

If my memory serves me correctly of course!

 

[amols]

I think this is a desperate move from Intel since Microsoft kicked them out of Xbox 2. And after-all, "Confusion of consumers" has always favored Intel.

 

[bumfilter]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but, are processor speed-bumps really that slow to happen? I once read that Intel could update the processor speed significantly every year but were limited by law (so people don't have completly out-of-date computers a year after purchase).

I think the article said something about being near 30Ghz by 2010. I assume this is all nonsense then?!

 

[Analog Kid]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but, are processor speed-bumps really that slow to happen? I once read that Intel could update the processor speed significantly every year but were limited by law (so people don't have completly out-of-date computers a year after purchase).

I think the article said something about being near 30Ghz by 2010. I assume this is all nonsense then?!

Yeah, it's nonsense. Or satire...

Can you really imagine the government coming in and saying "I'm sorry, you're improving productivity too quickly." There's legal restrictions on exports to certain countries, but they'd never limit domestic improvements.

 

[Analog Kid]

Wasn't it Intels decision to drop the number convention in the first place, as Mr. Judge announced they [Intel] couldn't trademark a "number" eg. 386, 486 - all around the time when the likes of AMD and Cyrix began making headway in the introduction of their own flavours of the x86 line of processors.

Hence the introduction of the Pentium as it was a "name" trademark rather than it being called the 586 - and thus the beginning of the "Intel Inside" campaign.

If my memory serves me correctly of course!

You're right. I think they're keeping the Pentium moniker and adding an arbitrary number to it rather than a speed rating. Interesting that Intel is taking yet-another-page from the AMD strategy book...

Some of this, I think, is driven by the fact that Prescott can't ramp up to speed as quickly as they hoped, and some is driven by the fact that the Itanic and Pentium M are running at lower speeds than the mainstream Pentium4 lines but with better performance per clock.

The Extreme Edition parts are running at the same clock but with much larger caches-- thus the higher series numbers.

Companies learned long ago that it's much better to rely on marketing than on an intelligent and informed consumer. A trick they picked up from jury selections, I think...

 

[rdowns]

Does anyone really think the manufacturers won't slap the GHz at the end of the chip series #? Pentium 500 series 3.4 GHz.

 

[jxyama]

Does anyone really think the manufacturers won't slap the GHz at the end of the chip series #? Pentium 500 series 3.4 GHz.

no, they won't be able to. AMD have had a policy in place ever since they re-named their processors with "arbituary" numbers (ex. "2500") that the actual clockspeed of the chips NOT be posted. and manufacturers have been faithful. they obviously re-named their chips to imply "effective" clockspeed, i.e. "2500" being effectively as fast as intel's 2.5 GHz chip, even though the actual clockspeed is "slower." this was, obviously, to counter intel's (now) FUDish marketing policy of touting higher clockspeed for the sake of clockspeed.

with pentium M's, intel's paying the price for its own FUDish policy. because P-M's are clocked lower, their sales have been rather slow - "average" consumers have been purchasing PIV, PIV-M or Celeron laptops instead of P-M laptops because the former had higher clockspeed.

 

[MorganX]

with pentium M's, intel's paying the price for its own FUDish policy. because P-M's are clocked lower, their sales have been rather slow - "average" consumers have been purchasing PIV, PIV-M or Celeron laptops instead of P-M laptops because the former had higher clockspeed.

I disagree. I believe the laptops you mentioned are selling more than P-M based laptops because P-M based laptops cost more. I believe Intel is changing the naming scheme and moving away more Speed Rules based marketing because they have finally reached a point of diminishing returns on speed increases and possibly the limit of significant speed increases given today's reduced power requirements. It made no sense, for Intel, until now. All CPUs can benefit from more speed. Intel was able to get more speed than other architectures to keep ahead, that is no longer the case and they must employ other methods to keep their CPUs on top.

 

[jxyama]

I disagree. I believe the laptops you mentioned are selling more than P-M based laptops because P-M based laptops cost more.

we are both right...

But Intel has failed to communicate that performance difference to retail buyers, who compare a 1.6-GHz Pentium M processor with a 2.4-GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M processor, and think the 2.4-GHz label denotes the higher performing chip, Sargent says. And when those buyers look at the notebook's price tag, and discover the Pentium M notebook costs a few hundred dollars more, they are opting for the Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M notebook, he adds.

Full article from PCWorld.com

 

[deco]

More the impact of IBM

I think that Intel has been successful in beating off AMD, etc. This is more about the fact that IBM is closing the MHz gap really fast, and what is more they are doing it with cooler chips, inexpensively, and 64-bit designs. IBM did not really focus on any consumer distribution for their chips, so Intel was safe. Now they are not. Clearly the Apple campaign closed the gap, and the XBox was a blow, since game machines by perception run "fast." IBM is betting on no MHz difference by the end of this year. Also the choice of series is no accident. Intel clearly thinks they have a chance to win that court battle.

 

[cr2sh]

But... but... but how will they maintain their lead via deceptive advertising?
~J

Holy **** that's funny.

So I go into BestBuy, and I'm Joe schmoe..and I'm looking at a peecee. I say to the bestbuy monkey, "how fast is this machine?" and he says "well.. that's a pentium class 5." and i say "what does that mean?" and he says "well, its faster than a 3.. but slower than a 7." and I say "are those numbers arbitrary or do they represent something?" and he says "they're.. uh... arbitrary."
Thank you intel. Thank you.

I can see it now... "Introducing.. the 7 Series Intel." and then in 4months.. "Introducing... the 7 Series Elite." and then 4 months later "Introducing.. the 7 Series 64bit."

Its so pathetic. Intel just admitted that the megahertz doesn't count for much.. they're going to make up a number and use it to sell their chips. (although some would argue they've been doing that with their fsb for a while now. )

 

[Snowy_River]

If they're clever, they'll wait till Intel has spend loads of money on a new ad campaign, then sue them

Assuming that the courts would agree that there is an infringement here (which is quite questionable, as we're dealing both with two different industries and with 500-series vs 5-series), they couldn't wait too long, as ownership of a trademark requires that you're proactive in defending it. If they were to wait too long the courts could find that they weren't sufficiently proactive in defending their intellectual property from a known potential infringer, and therefore the trademark would pass into the public domain.

 

[Snowy_River]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but, are processor speed-bumps really that slow to happen?

Check the Intel Pentium speed bump history. Here's a post that I made that includes a chart of the history. You can see that the last two years have seen a slow-down in the rate of speed bumps from them...

 

[Dippo]

Microsoft copies Apple.

Intel copies AMD.

What else is new?