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on the offensive

Intel slams Mac in new ad campaign

"Why you should Go PC in 2021"
Stephen Warwick

Macbook Air M1Source: Daniel Bader / iMore

What you need to know

  • Intel has launched a campaign against Apple's Mac lineup to promote its new Evo laptops.
  • It criticized Mac's lack of touch screen and lack of support for gaming.

Intel is currently running a series of ads taking aim at Apple's Mac lineup to promote its new Intel Evo laptops.

New adverts posted by Intel titled 'Why you should Go PC in 2021' berate the Mac's perceived lack of features. The most recent ad states:

"If you can power a rocket launch and launch Rocket League, you're not on a Mac.

Go PC."

An advert just over a week ago also took a dig at Mac's lack of touch screen support stating:

If you can flip through Photoshop thumbnails with your actual thumb, you're not on a Mac.

Go PC.

Intel's adverts all seem to link to a sponsored video created by YouTube creator Jon Rettinger, which begins with an opening sketch where he tries to search for 'Cyberpunk 2077 MacBook Pro' on Google, before trying to plug a USB-A cable into his USB-C MacBook. The video is titled 'Your NEW LAPTOP for 2021' and the description states:

Learn more about the new Intel Evo laptops Sponsored by Intel. If you're looking for a good laptop in 2021, there are many things to consider, but processor choice might be more important than you think. You might be considering Apple's new M1-based laptops, but before you hit the buy button, let me show you what Intel's new Evo laptops can offer you!

Intel recently published some cherry-picked benchmarks and reports comparing its own chips to Apple's M1 processor. From Tom's Guide:

Intel's performance claims need to be taken with a certain grain of salt, as they're in Intel-created tests and not industry-standard benchmarks. The fact that it switched out between the Pro and the Air for battery life (as well as the Core i7-1185G7 and Core i7-1165G7) also shows an incomplete picture.

Intel's thoughts on software and compatibility get a bit tricky. Early adopters may feel a bit of a sting, but it's been rapidly improving, and much of the software that doesn't work at all may be counteracted with Apple software.

The slides paint two pictures: Yes, Apple has work to do in this transition, and the touchscreen, multi-display support, and limited port selection need to be fixed. But the fact that Intel went through putting these slides together also shows that it sees a formidable opponent worth comparing its chips against, suggesting a competitive future for notebooks.

As 9to5Mac notes, Intel was also comparing its 11th generation 'Tiger Lake' i7 processor against a chip "that Apple built for low-power, fanless computers."