Intel readies the world for 'generation 7' of its CPUs
In 1993, Intel blanketed the world with advertising that stopped just short of placing a "TM" in front of the number "5" in the public conscience. This morning, the company has sent out an advance warning: Prepare for an onslaught of "7."
In advance of its annual US Developers' Forum next week, Intel today formally announced its branding for the generation of processors we've been calling by its code-name, "Nehalem." Rather than stay the current course of emphasizing the number of cores -- in which case, it might have been "Core 4" -- Intel will formally christen its desktop version of Nehalem with the new brand nomenclature "Core i7."
It's an indication that Nehalem represents the seventh generation of Intel architecture, as "Pentium" clearly constituted its fifth. But exactly what constitutes a "generation" has changed several times over Intel's history. And as a result, as Intel spokesperson George Alfs told BetaNews this morning, the "7" may be just a number.
"'i7' in itself has no meaning," Alfs told us. "However, it will be one of many future identifiers, and as products roll out through 2009 you will see how it fits in with other identifiers. Right now, it signifies the future performance and capabilities of high-end desktop Nehalem, and we needed to get the info to our OEMs so they could begin creating their marketing materials."
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