10 Fascinating Facts INTEL
1. How Intel Got Its Name
Intel was founded in 1968 by two ex-Fairchild Semiconductor employees, Gordon E. Moore and Robert N. Noyce.The company was originally called "N M Electronics." Legend has it, their preferred name — "Moore Noyce Electronics" — sounded too similar to "more noise," not a great brand message in that industry."Integrated Electronics" was considered as a possible name, but was taken, so the first syllables of each word were used instead."Intel," described by Noyce as "sort of sexy," was eventually agreed upon. The pair then purchased the "Intel" trademark from the Intelco hotel chain for just $15,000.Image courtesy of Flickr, keitamiyoshi2. Intel Once Made Watches
In 1972, Intel moved into the jewelry market with the acquisition of digital watch maker Microma.At the time, digital watches were considered seriously high-tech, selling for hundreds of dollars, so the move was not a surprising one. The anticipated market for such high-tech timepieces was 200 million units.However, when competition saw watch prices drop to the $10 mark, Intel decided to apply its tech expertise to other areas, selling the Microma brand and assets in 1978.It's reported that Gordon Moore still wears his Microma watch, stating: "It is to remind me, if I ever find myself thinking of getting into other consumer products, of the trouble we'd be getting into."Image courtesy of Flickr, Marcin Wichary3. Intel's BunnyPeople
You may recall in 1997, Intel created a fun, iconic advert for the Super Bowl, which featured colorful, dancing Intel technicians in special suits.These were nicknamed (and in fact trademarked) "BunnyPeople." The characters frequently appeared in advertising campaigns for the Pentium microprocessor series from this date on.However, the origin of the "BunnyPeople" dates much further back to 1973, when the "bunny suit" became standard Intel cleanroom attire.Worn by Fab technicians, it was a dramatic change from the more relaxed procedures predating 1973.One Intel employee recalls the suits were such a novelty that people used to find excuses to visit the Fab labs just so they could put a bunny suit on.The bunny suit is now a part of Intel's company culture. One year it even made for a classic April Fool's joke: Employees were informed they would be able to choose from new designs, like "Camouflage Comfy," "Polka Dot Parka" or "Miss Kitty."4. Intel's Customized Champagne Tradition
As a company tradition, Intel has customized bottles of champagne made to celebrate special occasions and milestones.The tradition dates back to the company's early days, "when a circuit finally worked or a product was shipped for the first time, the news was announced over the paging system. Then, someone would break out the bubbly."One Intel employee recalls a time when so many corks were popped against the acoustic tile ceiling in the cafeteria that it had to be replaced.In 1973, when Intel hit its first $3 million month, the then director of marketing ordered bottles of "Domaine d'Intel."The Museum of Computing also houses bottles in its collection that celebrate a Fields Sales Force success and the first $250 million quarter.Image courtesy of Computer History Museum5. The 8080 Intel Asteroid
While Intel can claim many firsts, one of the most seminal was 1974's 8080 microprocessor, the first 8-bit true general purpose microprocessor, which soon became an industry standard.In 1987, the CERGA Observatory named a Caussols main belt asteroid "8080 Intel" in honor of the invention.Today, Intel's main Santa Clara phone number is (408) 765-8080, surely no coincidence.Image courtesy of Intel Italia6. Intel's Cubicle Culture
Once forward-thinking about the workplace, Intel is credited with helping to develop corporate America's "cubicle culture.""There are no closed doors at Intel. Shoulder-high cubicles separate employees — even top management — from one another so that communication lines are always open."However, as younger companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google made changes in workplace culture, Intel's offices were criticized for being a little dated.Conan O'Brien had tons of fun at Intel's expense during a visit to the company in 2007. After commenting on the grey-on-grey color scheme, O'Brien said of the cubicle farms, "This is good. It makes people feel that they are basically all the same, that there is no individuality, that there is no hope, there's no sense that life has possibilities."Soon after, Intel announced a $10 million workplace revamp to create an "environment that feels more comfortable and energized."Image courtesy of Flickr, Paulo Ordoveza7. Intel's "Red X" Marketing Campaign
Intel played a major part in making PCs consumer-approachable, asking both business customers and consumers to learn what's inside their PCs, per the infamous "Intel Inside" slogan.Before "Intel Inside," though, was the "Red X" campaign. Created by Intel marketing guru Dennis Carter, the commercials were controversial, not just for the graffiti graphics, or for targeting end-users, but for actively dissing an existing Intel product.Intel wanted to promote the 386 SX processor over the 286, so the company ran ads with a red "X" through the numbers 286, suggesting the 386 was a better option.Competitors soon caught on to this pioneering marketing, and Intel, assuming the "386" and subsequent "486" processors were protected trademarks, tried to block similar numerical names for processors from other brands.In 1991, this block was ruled out by the courts, so Dennis Carter came up with the now infamous "Intel Inside" slogan as a blanket alternative.Carter's work was a success. Alongside the likes of Coke, Disney and McDonald's, the Intel brand is now one of the top 10 known brands in the world.Image courtesy of Flickr, Intel Photos8. Intel's Logo Evolution
Intel has kept its corporate branding very tight over the years, with little change to its iconic logo.The original logo featured an unusual dropped "E," which was used for 37 years.In fact, Intel's dropped "E" logo was so familiar that Apple made a visual pun about it during Steve Jobs' 2005 WWDC keynote.After the announcement that Apple would make the switch to Intel processors, Jobs showed a slide that read "It's true!" The "E" in "true" was dropped to resemble Intel's branding.Soon after the "Intel Inside" design was introduced, it remained for 15 years until the creation of the current logo.Intel said, "With deep respect for the Intel heritage, the new logo embodies the Intel of the past, the present and into the future. Its dynamic forward motion captures Intel as a catalyst for positive change and as a driving force toward newer technological leaps."9. Intel on the Endeavour
In 1995 Intel announced some of its kit had been used in the "first ever real-time, PC-based personal conference from space."Astronauts on the Space Shuttle Endeavour used the ProShare Personal Conferencing software to share info with NASA flight coordinators at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.During the call, they "shared photographic images on the PC and annotated shared information with words and drawings," which must have been pretty impressive for 1995 technology.Image courtesy of Tinker Northwest10. Intel's Infamous "Bong"
Finally, the Intel "bong" is known as a sonic logo, or "sonic branding" exercise.The trademark five-note sound was created by Austrian-born composer Walter Werzowa in 2004. It is used heavily in the chip maker’s advertising and branding campaigns.The bong has been heard more than a billion times since. It is estimated the tune is played somewhere around the world every five minutes.
