Processors Toolkit

Intel denies its customers are dull

Ina Fried CNET News.com

Published: 12 Jan 2006 10:30 GMT

Apple's television ads for its new Macs boast that for years, Intel's chips have been "trapped inside PCs — dull little boxes, dutifully performing dull little tasks."

Now, the voiceover proclaims, the Intel processor will finally be set free.

Of course, that's not exactly the way Intel would put it.

"Never would we characterise our customers that way," Intel vice-president Deborah Conrad said in an interview.

Conrad said that Intel cooperated with Apple for some particulars of the TV spot, but added, "We didn't know what the end result was going to be."

The company did get a peek at the ad before Tuesday's keynote, but it wasn't too much earlier.

"It's probably a good thing that we didn't see them earlier," Conrad said.

That said, if Intel's work with Apple inspires some PC makers to think more creatively, Intel wouldn't complain.

"We certainly hope that this innovation engine kind of picks up and that you do see the beige box makers going, 'You know, maybe we could do something that looks and feels like that.' That would be a good thing, I think, from our perspective."

For those wondering who made Intel chief executive Paul Otellini hop into a bunny suit, Conrad said that was Apple's idea too.