Intel announced that laptops verified through its innovation program, code-named “Project Athena,” will feature the visual identifier “Engineered for Mobile Performance.” PC manufacturers and retailers can use the identifier across promotional activities and in-store and online retail environments to draw consumers to the laptops that meet the high standards of the program’s target specification and key experience indicators (KEI).
The new identifier can be found for the first time today with the new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, one of the initial systems verified through Project Athena and now available for U.S. customers to purchase from Dell.com. Over the coming weeks, the identifier will also be visible in marketing efforts for the HP Elitebook 1040 and HP Elitebook 830, which are also among the initial laptops verified through the program. Additional laptops are expected from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung for the holiday season.
“With Project Athena, we are fundamentally changing our approach to innovation by defining the program and its methodologies through the lens of how people use their devices every day. On-the-move, ambitious people turn to their laptops across every facet of their lives – work, home, and passion projects. ‘Engineered for Mobile Performance’ refers to the high-quality experience consumers can expect from these laptops enabled by deep co-engineering from Intel and its partners,” said Josh Newman, Intel vice president and general manager of PC Innovation Segments in the Client Computing Group.
Project Athena is Intel’s ambitious innovation program aimed at delivering a new class of advanced laptops that help people to focus, to be always ready and to adapt to different roles throughout the day. With support from more than 100 partners across the ecosystem, Intel’s long-term commitment with Project Athena includes ongoing research to define new experience targets and product specifications, co-engineering support, innovation path-finding and joint marketing efforts. Through broad ecosystem collaboration, the program will drive innovation across the entire PC platform to create better experiences on the laptop and help people do the things that matter most to them.
Research suggests that consumers often rely on visual signals and retail displays to inform their buying decisions. Testing of the identifier and its messaging showed that it grabbed people’s attention in stores and online and indicates how the laptops are the result of engineering collaborations specifically designed for on-the-go PC experiences.
In this first year of the program, the “Engineered for Mobile Performance” identifier indicates that the laptop has been co-engineered with Intel to meet the foundational KEIs of the program.
Laptops featuring the identifier will have passed the verification process, a robust and iterative process led by Intel engineers, that includes meeting specified platform requirements and KEI targets across six innovation vectors: instant action, performance and responsiveness, intelligence, battery life, connectivity and form factor.
The identifier can be used across PC manufacturer, retailer and other online listings and product detail pages, as well as on in-store display systems, demos and packaging. For applicable 10th Gen Intel Core processor-based systems, the designation will be used in conjunction with 10th Gen Intel Core processor badges.
For highlights of the 1.0 target specification and KEIs, see the Project Athena fact sheet. More than a dozen designs from PC manufacturers are expected to be aligned with the first target specification.
