There’s an Intel sticker on basically every PC, generally impossible to remove without leaving some nasty residue. Macs also use Intel processors, so why don’t they have stickers? Show Because stickers are ugly. That’s reason enough for most Mac users, but to really work this out we need to ask why Dell, Asus and other PC makers put up with these stickers in the first place. And it’s the same reason PCs come bundled with software trials you don’t want: money. Intel pays OEMs to super glue those stickers in place so that people will know the Intel chip is in there. Apple is seemingly happy to charge a bit more for their laptops if it means there’s no sticker cluttering things up, but companies making cheaper computers generally can’t afford to turn down the money. So that’s the short answer: Intel pays PC makers to put that sticker there, and Apple is fine with not taking the cash. But this doesn’t answer why Intel pays companies to put those stickers there in the first place. Why Intel Pays PC Makers to Put Stickers on ComputersThink of it this way: how often do you think about what brand of RAM your laptop has? What about the motherboard? If you’re like most people, the answer is “not at all.” And in the early ’90s, processors were the same way: people didn’t really think about them all that much, at least not in terms of brand preference. The “Intel Inside” campaign changed all that. TV ads “informed” consumers about the amazing power of Intel processors, and specifically told people to look for computers with the “Intel Inside” sticker. To make sure the stickers were there, Intel handed out discounts and even cash. PC makers, who have always faced small margins, happily took that deal, and to this day most new computers come with Intel stickers. Those stickers helped make Intel the leading processor maker for three decades. They’re the main reason the average consumer is even familiar with the Intel brand. The campaign was so effective, in fact, that Apple spent money in the late ’90s attacking it.
The Best Tech Newsletter Anywhere Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of features, articles, news, and trivia. By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. From Mocking Intel to Using Their ChipsMacs only started using Intel in 2006; before that, Apple’s computers used the PowerPC chip as part of a deal with IBM and Motorola. Apple constantly argued these processors were faster than Intel’s, and in the late ’90s they aired TV ads arguing just that. A memorable one put an Intel chip on the back of a snail. According to Ken Segall, who worked on the ads with Apple, it didn’t matter whether these ads actually convinced anyone PowerPC chips were faster. The idea was to get the argument out there, and potentially even provoke a reaction.
The lawsuit never happened, but Intel wasn’t exactly thrilled with the ads, or Apple in general. At least, not until 2006. Jobs: Stickers are “Redundant”In 2006 Apple announced its transition to Intel-based chips. They even made an unbearably pretentious ad to announce this, calling every PC “dull little boxes performing dull little tasks.” The change made people wonder: will Apple be putting stickers on Macs? Steve Jobs was asked about this, and said no.
That’s been the party line ever since: Apple is happy to work with Intel, but doesn’t see the need to overtly point the chips out. At least one MacBook Pro box we have here at Geek HQ, from 2011, includes an Intel Inside badge on the side of the box, but the 2016 MacBook Pro’s box has no Intel logo on it whatsoever. And no Mac has ever shipped with a sticker attached the computer itself. It’s not likely that will ever change. Photo credit: Hamza Butt Apple refuses to put Intel stickers on its computers, even though there’s Intel inside. In doing so, it leaves millions of dollars a year on the table. from apple > "Well, the Pentium M was just a refreshed PIII" I respectfully disagree. These are direct quotes from the Wikipedia article mentioned above. The Pentium M (Banias) was an innovation of increasing the (maximum) speed vs. power ratio. Intel chose not to extend to x64 because they wanted to market an entirely different 64-bit architecture, the Itanium processors. I am very pleased that AMD came out with it and forced Intel to do the same, but the Pentium M was (for microprocessors) a true innovation. "The Pentium M coupled the execution core of the Pentium III with a Pentium 4 compatible bus interface, an improved instruction decoding/issuing front end, improved branch prediction, SSE2 support, and a much larger cache. The usually power-hungry secondary cache uses an access method which only switches on the portion being accessed..." "Other power saving methods include dynamically variable clock frequency and core voltage, allowing the Pentium M to throttle clock speed when the system is idle in order to conserve energy, using the SpeedStep 3 technology (which has more sleep stages than previous versions of SpeedStep)..." "...Pentium M varies from 5 watts when idle to 27 watts at full load..." Take the quiz test your understanding of the key concepts covered in the chapter. Try testing yourself before you read the chapter to see where your strengths and weaknesses are, then test yourself again once you’ve read the chapter to see how well you’ve understood. 1. Most exported consumer products are adapted in some way to suit the needs of people in different countries. True or false? True False 2. Any USPs that today’s products have are most likely to be derived from additional services or from brand values than from physical product features. True or false? True False 3. Packaging is an important part of brand equity. True or false? True False 4. A line extension is usually a higher risk strategy than a brand extension. True or false? True False 5. Regular customers are loyal customers. True or false? True False 6. The Parker pen company make good quality pens and pencils. Their ballpoint pens come in various styles and with different coloured ink. Which ring of the total product offering model does the coloured ink fit into?
7. Which of the following is a truly global (i.e. standardised) product?
Answer: e. none of the above 8. Gerry is the product manager for a fruit drink. Competition is building and so his strategy is to encourage existing customers to become more regular purchasers and to build brand loyalty. He is introducing different flavours, different sized bottles and low calorie options. He is trying hard to keep the price down and this has helped him to find more distribution outlets for his product. It sounds like this drink is at what stage of the product life cycle?
9. What is brand equity?
Answer: a. the value of the brand 10. Speedy Sports manufacture athletics equipment and, until recently, sold only to wholesalers and export agents who sold the goods on. Now they have a website and can sell directly to consumers. In addition, several major retailers have approached them with orders. Consumers will be able to buy from retailers or from Speedy Sports Direct. Retailers will be able to buy from wholesalers, agents or the manufacturer. Some of the wholesalers are considering setting up their own direct sales operations. What is this an example of?
Answer: b. channel conflict 11. What is a ‘branded house’?
Answer: d. a single master brand which spans a set of sub-brands 12. Why do many advertisements contain a pack shot?
Answer: a. It is to help customers to recognise the packaging and remember the message of the advert. 13. What is pattern advertising?
Answer: e. adverts that look similar but use different images and slogans for different audiences 14. What type of brand is Tesco Cola?
Answer: b. own label brand 15. Why did the makers of the cleaning product Jif change its name to Cif?
Answer: a. It was done as part of an international standardisation strategy. 16. Who tried, unsuccessfully, to re-brand themselves as Consignia?
17. Which of the following is part of a brand’s identity?
18. Sony laptops have a sticker on them which says ‘Intel inside’. This is an example of what?
19. Little Piggy is a brand of upmarket sausages sold through independent groceries and butchers. The marketing team want to build on the brand’s success by broadening their product portfolio. They plan to start with Little Piggy pies. What kind of branding strategy is this?
Answer: d. brand extension 20. Which of the following is a range brand?
21. During the product’s growth stage, organisations should be focusing on building brand ______ and encouraging repeat purchases. 22. A global brand is unlikely to have a completely standardised marketing mix but it will have the same brand ______ all over the world and this will be expressed through a brand identity that is standardised as far as possible. 23. The marketing mix will be more effective if it is ______ (i.e. each element fits with the others so that there are no contradictory signals). 24. Organisations with trading partners or customers overseas have to agree on a ______ in which to price contracts. 25. Packaging is sometimes referred to as the silent ______ because of its marketing communications role. |