Intel attempts to convert Apple fans in 'social experiment'

AppleInsider

In its latest ad push to stymie the success of Apple's transition to in-house Apple Silicon processors, Intel gathered a group of self-professed Apple fans and attempted to persuade them that PC hardware is more flexible than Mac.

Using bait-and-switch tactics, a popular practice in "real people, not paid actors" commercials, Intel invites Apple devotees to what is claimed to be a focus group discussing potential features of future Mac hardware.

Set in a wood-paneled room reminiscent of executive meeting spaces at flagship Apple Store locations, participants are asked how they feel about new features like hardware customization and upgradability, gaming, hybrid designs and more. The presentations were recorded and included in Intel's new ad, "Breaking the Spell: Social Experiment."

Ryan Shrout, Intel's chief performance strategist, highlighted the four-minute spot in a tweet on Monday.

"We took 12 REAL Apple fans to a focus group touting features of "upcoming devices" that were, in fact, already PCs you can buy today. A fun experiment that shows the power of the PC ecosystem, our partners, and @intel tech," Shrout said.

The selected Apple device users bemoan Mac's lack of expandability, namely RAM allotments, and its sparse catalog of games, while new additions like touchscreens and foldable hybrid designs are embraced as features of interest. The presenter reveals that PCs have all of the discussed features, much to the unreasonable surprise of the impromptu study's participants.

A hidden door is then opened, revealing a room full of laptops, desktops and hybrids boasting hardware capabilities detailed during the session. The Apple fans are -- again unreasonably -- amazed, some even exuberant, to see the array of PCs, most featuring form factors and technologies that have been available for years.

Shrout in a follow-up tweet today said that participant reactions were real and unscripted, adding, "It's surprising to see how many people that utilize tech still don't know the capabilities of the PC."

Intel took swipes at Apple Silicon in early 2021 with a set of benchmarks cherry-picked to show off x86 chips in a favorable light. The ads started in February. Dubbed "Go PC," the campaign enlisted former "I'm a Mac" star Justing Long to trash talk Mac and targets everything from energy efficiency to Apple's reliance on dongles.

Apple is in the midst of transitioning its entire Mac lineup away from Intel processors to in-house designed M-series chips. The effort began late last year with the release of Apple Silicon-powered versions of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini, and continued in 2021 with an M1 iMac. The company is expected to introduce 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M-series chips in October, while a 2022 Mac Pro could complete the transition within the promised two-year window.

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doozydozen

darn, I guess this is goodbye Apple. sad face   /s

Japhey

“Wow” is right. 

The desperation is real. 

And uncomfortable to watch. 

Poor Intel. 

AppleUfmyI

Maybe if Intel’s previous CEO spent more time competing rather than womanizing, they would not be behind.  Try competing! 

sflocal

Ugh.. that video was painful and pathetic to watch.   Is Intel really that desperate to put out such propaganda?

mark fearing

I've been stewing on this for a bit and it's really dumb and senseless ad but there's a much bigger marketing issue... Are there really so many Apple users that Intel needs to get them? I mean, Intel sells tens of millions of more PCs with Intel inside. Apple's market share in PC's is a rounding error to them. So it's really just Intel being an as**ole.

paxman

Cringeville!!  

The whole concept is so badly executed it really is horrible to watch - they make some good points re the hardware. I have always thought ram should be upgradable, and touchscreens are nice. The ability to fold the screen back and convert the laptop to a tablet is kinda cool, but I honestly wonder how many people use that in real life. If by flipping the lid around my mbp automatically switched to IOS, I guess that'd be pretty neat, but why, exactly? 

OutdoorAppDeveloper

It's true that the Mac is not great at playing games but then neither is the PC, really. A lot of people do play games on PCs but you have to put up with a lot to do it. Gaming consoles remain the best way to play games if the actual playing of games is what you are interested in. If system building and tuning is your thing then PCs dominate no doubt but if what you want to do is grab a controller and start playing immediately, get a console.

jeff fields

So for Intel, gaslighting people is a "fun experiment".

Yeah, that tracks. Kinda like the entire history of Windows PCs.

charlesn

So, were these "REAL Apple fans" upset to learn that Intel had secretly chloroformed and lobotomized them before this was shot? 

rezwits

It's so true tho, especially like with the Fold Samgsung.  (which I can admit downfall, I not a  Window FOOL) BUT

and here is the BUT,

Apple's "Spell" is the CODE and the OS.  macOS and iOS, and ecosystem of those OSes.

I mean heck I'd take TON's of other hardware, as long as there was a ROBUST track record of NOT breaking.
Some PCs straight break, and that's a fact.  BUT, I am fixated on the CODE that Apple offers and Apps creadted by the developers along with the smoothness, and:

Hardware reliability and Software reliabilty.

I mean this was SOO funny the other day, and last year, that Microsoft released or manufactured I should say, actual HARDWARE, without Software for it!!  Without actual HOME GROWN software that makes the device work!!  Insanity, honestly, and Samsung kinda does the same thing, it's pretty disgusting and disgraceful from a developer stand point IMHO...

2¢

verne arase

The most interesting thing about Intel ads is that as a CPU maker, they never compare Intel CPUs to Apple Silicon CPUs.

bestkeptsecret

"The selected Apple device users bemoan Mac's lack of expandability, namely RAM allotments, and its sparse catalog of games, while new additions like touchscreens and foldable hybrid designs are embraced as features of interest"

Looks like some of the trolls here finally got a job!!

sweetheart777

Any Mac user would say…but what’s the OS? Windows? And at that point I would slam that trash to the ground and say…nah….

riverko

Ouch… Desperate and pathetic… that’s all i can tell. Of course we all hate that we cannot upgrade our RAM or hard drive… and of course we complain about many other things… But… Real life usage matters… And than you have all these laptops spinnint their fans full speed almost full time (at work we have 4 different models used, rare that they shut up…). For me who used Wintel machines before i could afford to buy Apple - you don’t want to go back unless there is some really good reason or no other way possible.

And this seems like - oh, there are intel devices with intel system in it… really??? Wonder how many people were really there in total, and how many shots they have to throw away because people were not impressed/were not dumb…

gremlin

I can't understand why Intel is pursuing this.  I can understand that apple's success may be affecting the sales of some of the higher cost PCs but shouldn't that be an issue for Dell or one of the pc big-boys to address rather than one of the component suppliers?

This is like a McDonalds Pickle farmer running anti Pizza Hut ads because they don't use their pickles.  Okay... maybe a stretch, but its still jolly odd!

ilarynx

THOSE. ARE. ACTORS. 

Look at the mice type disclaimer: "Real people paid for their time and opinions." That also applies to actors. There is nothing in the ad saying "NOT actors." 

THOSE ARE ACTORS (1st year acting school actors, but still, actors). 

robaba

verne arase said:

The most interesting thing about Intel ads is that as a CPU maker, they never compare Intel CPUs to Apple Silicon CPUs.

BINGO!

mcdave

People don’t want more RAM, they just want a quicker machine and Apple Silicon delivers on that irrespective of specs.

I guess that confirms the imminent MBP launch with some pretty amazing hardware.

blastdoor

verne arase said:

The most interesting thing about Intel ads is that as a CPU maker, they never compare Intel CPUs to Apple Silicon CPUs.

Yup. People persuaded by this add should buy an AMD-powered PC

bobolicious

...so far I've chosen to upgrade and stay on macs from 2011 and prior for many of the reasons cited, and have been exploring open source both on macOS and Linux. One favourite design is a 2011 i7 Mini with a discrete GPU and dual drive bays, now running upgraded SSD & 16GB ram. Another is the mac pro, fully upgradable until Apple dropped support, despite still being very capable...

Will macOS' reliance on proprietary silicon also have downsides, irrespective of performance gains...?

A main vertical software application developer now publicly advises to wait six to nine months before reliance on the latest macOS release. Is the recent FB outage a reminder of single point of failure ?

I understand 32 bit apps are still supported in Windows. I know some who have either switched back to pc or are contemplating it because the mac seems increasingly inflexible and limiting...