Intel's 14th-gen mobile processor, code-named Meteor Lake, represents a dramatic shift from the chips Intel has shipped for years -- and Intel has provided us with a ton of information. If you don't have time to wade through it all, however, we've summed up the most important points here. Here's what you need to know about Meteor Lake. For a much more detailed examination of what this new generation of processors offers, please see our deep-dive into Meteor Lake. Intel will brand Meteor Lake as the Core Ultra, and it will launch on Dec. 14, Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger said at its Intel Innovation conference.

Intel's new 14th-gen Core chip, Meteor Lake, is designed as much for Intel as it is for you. But a doubling of graphics performance and a new AI engine helps cater to consumers seeking new features. Let's be clear, though: Meteor Lake was not designed with CPU performance in mind. Intel executives describe Meteor Lake as offering the performance of the current 13th-gen chip, Raptor Lake, but at half the power -- aided by new low-voltage efficiency cores (E-cores) that are new to the platform. Even the way Intel assigns CPU tasks has been flipped on its head, pushing them first towards the lowest-power E-cores, then migrating them to the more power-hungry performance cores if need be. Intel unveiled its new Meteor Lake platform in an offsite press event in Penang, Malaysia, though the company will talk more about Meteor Lake at its Intel Innovation conference in San Jose this week. At Intel's Intel Innovation conference in San Jose, Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger added two more details: that Meteor Lake will launch on Dec. 14, and it will be branded as the Core Ultra. Acer appeared on stage to show off its own Meteor Lake laptop, and Intel used MSI-branded laptops in Malaysia.

Apple says that only it can conjure performance and battery life magic from PCs, because the electronics giant controls both the Mac OS and its processor mate, the M1 chip. Moreover, they say, they've just turned up their coordination to 11 to give new mobile PCs unveiled at CES last week an unprecedented leap in both battery savings and horsepower. Personal computers aren't dead yet: Laptops are showing new signs of life at CES Actually, you might say they've turned it up to 12 – that is, the Intel 12th-generation Core processors powering laptops running Microsoft Windows 11. And thanks to the two companies' extraordinary collaboration, they contend, new laptops like the new XPS 13 Plus from Dell, HP's Elite Dragonfly G3 and the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 will fly with next-level speed all day on a single charge. Of course, there's no shortage of motivation for Intel and Microsoft to join forces these days.