Intel’s Meteor Lake processors aren’t going to be realized for desktop PCs in spite of everything, it appears, with Group Blue issuing a clarification following a current assertion seemingly indicating that the chips would debut for desktops subsequent 12 months.
This moderately odd episode started when PC World interviewed Michelle Johnston Holthaus, VP and Basic Supervisor of Intel’s Shopper Computing Group.
When questioned out of the blue on whether or not there could be a ‘desktop model’ of Meteor Lake, Holthaus confirmed that: “Desktop will are available in 2024.”
There appeared little room for doubt with that assertion, and certainly the interviewer, clearly moderately shocked, requested for affirmation, which Holthaus gave.
Nonetheless, Intel has since been pressed for extra particulars on this, and has come out with a separation affirmation to German tech web site Computerbase that Meteor Lake desktop isn’t really going to be a factor – as such.
As VideoCardz highlighted, Intel advised Computerbase: “Meteor Lake is an influence environment friendly structure that may energy revolutionary cellular and desktop designs, together with desktop type components resembling All-in-One (AIO). We can have extra product particulars to share sooner or later.”
Evaluation: An odd affair certainly
So, there’s a distinction being drawn right here, particularly that Meteor Lake will probably be coming to desktops, however that it will embrace type components resembling All-in-One (AIO) PCs, which will probably be powered by cellular chips.
Briefly, there gained’t be any precise desktop (socketed) Meteor Lake processors, however the silicon will come to AIOs and the likes of mini PCs, with Intel plonking cellular CPUs inside of those. (It is a trick that’s been tried prior to now, in fact, although not too usually).
The hypothesis that Holthaus fired up, that there could be precise desktop chips, was plausible as a result of Intel has talked about doing this prior to now – and samples have even been made, and particulars shared on the grapevine.
Subsequently, the conclusion jumped to was {that a} Core i5 or i3 Meteor Lake desktop half was coming. Now, that didn’t make plenty of sense to us, as a result of as we identified on the time, this was a really stunning (obvious) growth at this late stage, and we didn’t actually see how this may match into subsequent 12 months’s launch timings (with Arrow Lake desktop due later in 2024). However the assertion from Holthaus appeared a transparent indication that precise desktop chips had been coming – in some type – so we took it at face worth.
As talked about, Holthaus was even given a chance to make clear what she meant by desktop – when the interviewer was clearly stunned by the sudden announcement that sure, Meteor Lake desktop was coming – and he or she failed to take action. That looks like poor judgment, frankly, except perhaps Holthaus herself was in some way misinformed.
As a closing thought, is there any probability {that a} Core i5 or comparable desktop half might nonetheless be inbound with Meteor Lake? As that isn’t really dominated out by Intel’s assertion, not fairly – the corporate says it can have desktop designs together with AIOs, and there will probably be additional particulars shared sooner or later. It doesn’t rule out a correct desktop half, then, however clearly that’s the subtext right here – whereas avoiding really referring on to the assertion made by Holthaus (which must be swept beneath the proverbial carpet).
We weren’t anticipating Meteor Lake desktop anyway, thoughts, and we positively aren’t now – however this entire affair has been a headscratcher, frankly. We’d recommend Intel execs ought to be extra cautious with their phrasing and which means with regards to speaking about future product launches.