For the longest time, Intel Core CPUs came with an iconic “i” in their names— Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7. But moving forward, the company may get rid of the “i” from the names of its processors, branding them to a simpler “Core 3/5/7/9” concept. This rebranding will apparently make Intel’s products better align with customer requests. Additionally, the company is introducing an Ultra tier for higher-end chips.

Say goodbye to the “i” and hello to “Ultra”

Benchmarks of the upcoming “Meteor Lake generation” of CPUs have leaked, revealing the name “Core Ultra 5 1003H,” as reported by VideoCardz. The absence of the “i” in the processor’s name suggests that Intel is indeed abandoning the iconic letter. The reasoning behind this decision is intriguing—Intel believes that the name “Intel” is becoming overshadowed, and customers primarily identify the company through terms like “Core i5” or “Core i7.”

Intel rebranding

“When we looked at how the tech press, how our retailers, our OEMs, our partners talk about it, it was interesting to see how we got shortchanged all the way to a letter and a number,” Christopher Hirsch, Intel’s director of product branding, told The Verge.

Furthermore, the US tech giant will introduce a new tier called “Ultra” in its branding, positioned before the number. This means the future high-end processors may be referred to as “Intel Core Ultra X.” Intel has clarified that generational information will still be included at the end, such as “Intel Core X processor 1300AB.” The company has stated that both the standard Core and Core Ultra processors will be compatible with its Intel Arc graphics (Via Engadet).

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