Intel's Product Marketing at CES: B-
Back to real value props, but the AI case was unconvincing.
In the past, I’ve been quite critical of Intel’s AI PC vision:
The main problem was timing and relevance. In 2023, most mainstream users were barely using ChatGPT at all. Most GenAI use cases for normies who actually used ChatGPT were handled fine by the cloud. Against that backdrop, Pat Gelsinger’s December 2023 line that “2024 marks the AI PC” felt waaaay premature.
Intel had a PC with an NPU, but they didn’t have a value prop.
“Being too far ahead is the same thing as being wrong.”
And the Core Ultra launch was all about this “AI PC” non-value prop:
But, hey, it’s been two years and a lot has changed at Intel:
So how did Intel’s Core Ultra 3 launch at CES 2026 go? Honestly, it started surprisingly strong. But then there was a big swing and miss during the AI PC section. Again. But then Intel finished well.
I give it a B-.
Here’s why: