Intel to bid farewell to Centrino with new rebranding

Darius Chang | Jun 18, 2009

The Centrino brand was a success for the chipmaker. By combining the processor, chipset and wireless radio under a single label, it helped consumers to easily identify a machine with Wi-Fi capabilities (back in the days when wireless access was still in its infancy). It also propelled Intel forward as a dominant player in the mobile computing field. But the days of the Centrino are numbered with a new rebranding exercise. Due to the fact that as more processors are added to the Centrino family such as the Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, finding the right chip can be confusing.

In an announcement made today. the Santa Clara company claims that its new labels will simplify consumer choice by grouping the various chips according to their performance brackets. Two new labels, the Core i3 and i5, will join the existing Core i7 brand to form a new family. As new chips based on 45nm and 32nm technology starts streaming into the market later this year, the Centrino logo will phase out over time.

There will be three separate labels to identify the class of Intel processors used.

	Intel Core i3 targets the entry-level market. The new 32nm desktop and mobile chips, Clarkdale and Arrandale, respectively, will come in this flavor.
	The Core i5 aims for the midrange consumer. The first push will see 32nm desktop Clarkdale and 45nm Lynnfield processors. The mobile Arrandale silicon will arrive at a later date.
	Power users will go for the high-end Core i7. This segment will be populated with Lynnfield chips. The mobile Arrandale silicon will be available at a later date.