Intel is confident Apple does not yet have the ammunition to score in the corporate market

Intel does not anticipate that the introduction of Apple’s own silicon, the M1, will affect the chipset maker’s dominance in the lucrative corporate PC market. According to Intel, the debut of its new 11th generation Core vPro processors for businesses at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this week will give it an edge over competitors like Apple and AMD.

“She [Apple] While I am eager to get in … but I think most companies will tell you, until there is a broader ecosystem of business-related solutions, it’s not really a viable solution, ”said Stephanie Hallford, vice president and general manager of Business Client Platforms. Client Computing Group, Intel said socialmediagossips.com over a phone call.

Despite reports claiming that the M1 chip is the new benchmark in personal computing, Hallford dismissed these claims by saying, “The benchmarks are a little blurry…. They are in corner cases, they are not wide. “

The surge in notebook purchases has far exceeded the desktop form factor. This shows how corporate PC buying behavior has changed during the pandemic. (Image credit: Intel Corporation)

Hallford, who has been with Intel since 2000, said the company tries to educate its customers about real-world experiences and how its chipsets are better suited for business applications and work with office users without compromising on security. “These are all things that legacy systems like Intel, Microsoft, and the entire app developer world have developed over the years. This experience from Apple is still missing a lot,” she said.

The new business-oriented processors from Intel build on the strengths of the 11th generation mobile processors and are designed to power thin and light premium laptops including the Dell Latitude 9420. Features like security and remote manageability are critical to IT departments in pandemic times and Intel is not afraid to highlight them. Intel said that more than 60 new laptops with the new vPro processors will be launched this year, and some of them will be Intel Evo vPro branded.

While Intel welcomes competition from Apple, Hallford continues to believe that larger businesses and enterprises will always prefer Intel-based systems because of the cost and ease of getting things done. “We have discussed this with many of our IT departments who find that not only is it expensive for them to buy, but it is also expensive to maintain,” said Hallford.

In the post-pandemic world, where most companies are preparing for a “hybrid” office model, in which employees split their time between work at home and work in the office, corporate IT requirements will also change. As Hallford pointed out, the surge in notebook purchases has far surpassed the desktop form factor, and this shows how corporate PC buying behavior has changed during the pandemic. While the desktop form factor meets specific requirements, the notebook form factor will continue to explode, opening up more competition from new MacBooks with the M1 chip and AMD’s Ryzen Pro notebooks.

Stephanie Hallford leads Business Client Platforms at Intel. (Image credit: Intel Corporation)

Intel believes that the introduction of an updated vPro platform for the eleventh Tiger Lake core processors and the expansion of the Evo program to include vPro could help differentiate notebooks for corporate environments. “We think many of our Evo platforms that come out with the display, audio, and battery life, and thin and light, really are very worthy competitors of those who need the ultimate mobility that many Apple Macs have been known for,” she said.

Explains: Why Apple Ditched Intel for ARM on Macs

Intel is facing increasing competition from Apple and AMD in the PC market. Apple announced plans to switch to its own silicon back in June last year, while AMD is eating up Intel’s market share in both desktop and laptop CPU segments. Intel announced earlier this week that its current CEO, Bob Swan, is stepping down from his position next month and will be replaced by Pat Gelsinger, CEO of VMware. Gelsinger is an Intel veteran who previously worked for the chip manufacturer for 30 years.