Days after Intel released a series of benchmarks to claim that its chips perform better than Apple’s M1, the company gave a hint on Thursday by launching an advertising campaign featuring features exclusively for Windows computers.
Published on Intel’s official Twitter account, the “Go PC” ad currently consists of two posts and a sponsored YouTube video highlighting the exclusive capabilities of Intel hardware. The company specifically mentions Apple’s Mac, an interesting event considering that Apple, which has long been a computer industry, did the same with its famous series “I’m a Mac” in the early 2000s.
In one ad, Intel points out that Macs cannot play certain games like Rocket League, an important point for buyers who want to use their computer as an entertainment console. Another note Mac does not support tablet mode with style input and touch screen support. No mention of iPad is made.
A link in both built-in ads leads to a long, sponsored video by tech YouTuber Jon Rettinger, which explains why Intel Evo laptops fit some users better than a comparable M1 Mac.
“If you’re looking for a good laptop in 2021, there are a lot of things to consider, but the processor choice may be more important than you think,” reads a description on Rettinger’s video. “You may be considering Apple’s new M1-based laptops, but first let me push you on the buy button that Intel’s new Evo laptops can offer you!”
In the review, Rettinger cites the 13.3 “ASUS ZenBook Flip S, Razer Book, Razer Core X, CalDigit Thunderbolt Dock and Samsung T7 Portable SSD, some of which are compatible with existing Mac hardware.
Intel last week released a series of benchmark tests with cherries designed to illustrate the skill of its chip design over Apple’s new M1 silicon for Mac. The chipmaker has selected a number of data points that appear to be missing the M1 when it completes tasks in a number of popular applications, including Adobe Creative Cloud and Handbrake. Mac’s lack of game support was also noted, and Intel confused unsupported games at zero frames per second on Apple’s platform.
With Intel in a dominant position – at least for now – in the disk-making industry, the new advertising campaign is perhaps doing less to promote its products than to show how threatened the company feels by Apple’s own ARM design. Early tests in November suggested that M1 surpassed almost all Intel-powered Macs currently offered by Apple. The Cupertino technology giant plans to migrate its entire Mac line to Apple Silicon within two years.
Today’s advertising pressure also comes on the heels of a letter sent by President Intel, Qualcomm, Micron and AMD to President Joe Biden, calling for ‘substantial funding for semiconductor manufacturing incentives’ to be included as part of the government economic recovery plans. Apple disk provider TSMC, meanwhile, is expanding rapidly thanks to orders for A-Series and now M1 silicone production.