Nobody cares that there's Intel inside a mobile phone

Intel is living in wonderland if it thinks people are going to buy a mobile phone based on the chip it uses.

But that is what the chipmaker is saying - and it isn't the only one.

Speaking to Reuters, Brian Fravel, Intel's head of branding said the success of 'Intel Inside' on PCs could be transferred to tablets and phones:

"Without a doubt, my goal would be to have consumers walk into stores and have Intel Inside as a key driver of which phone or tablet they choose, just like we've done in the PC space," Fravel said.

Intel is trying it already. We've seen the first wave of 'Intel powered' phones in the UK and the company made a concerted effort to push Ultrabooks that were ‘inspired by Intel'.

While Intel has made great success of getting its name known for desktops and laptops, it doesn't follow that the same will be true for phones and tablets. Ask a person in the street if they've heard of ARM - or have any idea who made the processor inside their phone.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year Sandisk told me it wanted to educate people about the importance of mobile phone components. Fine - but few people see them as important. That's why companies say squat about what's inside their phones.

Camera, screen, speed, price, operating system - that's what people care about. Phones and tablets have turned marketing into a succession of vagaries. We now deal in 'superfasts' and 'ultra-high-res' - not '2.4Ghz Intel Celeron Processors' and '1136x640'.

It gets laid on thicker still. Qualcomm agrees with Intel and is making a big push with its Snapdragon branding.

Again, Reuters quoting Qualcomm's Tim McDonough:

"You'll start to see the Snapdragon brand appearing in a lot more places. But the key is having it appear in places where it has value to the user as a starting point."

I don't see it.

More at Reuters: "Intel Inside" ignites mobile branding war