The good news about chip stock Intel (INTC) is that it can still get high-profile clients interested in using Intel’s processors to drive new laptops and the like. In fact, Microsoft (MSFT) just released word about two new Surface devices that will run on Intel processors. The news proved more than good enough for Intel investors, as shares were up over 1.5% in Thursday afternoon’s trading.
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Intel’s Lunar Lake processors, reports noted, will be driving both the Surface Laptop 7 and the Surface Pro 11. Both are Copilot Plus PCs, and will be available for purchase February 18. But, in a surprise twist, Intel won out over Qualcomm (QCOM) in who would be powering the new Surfaces. Apparently, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips were going in the Surfaces, but now, Intel processors will be available instead.
Reports note that Microsoft plans to make these focus on business, and for those that really wanted the Qualcomm chips instead, they will be available. Aside from that variation, though, the designs are set to be the same no matter whose logo is stamped on the chips. However, there will be a price difference; apparently, for the Laptop 7, the Intel version will come in at $1,499.99. The Qualcomm version will be $500 cheaper, reports note.
The Apple Snub
Meanwhile, word emerged about why Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) ended up with custom chip supply duties with Apple (AAPL) instead of Intel. Morris Chang, company founder, noted that Apple CEO Tim Cook once said “Intel just doesn’t know what they’re doing as a foundry.”
Reportedly, Cook also cited Intel’s “…inflexibility and inability to meet customer’s needs,” a point which, again reportedly, many of Intel’s customers experienced at the time. TSMC, meanwhile, was much more willing to meet customer demands, even “…the most crazy or irrational.” That willingness to provide at any cost left TSMC the weapon of choice for many providers, while leaving Intel in the dust.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on one Buy, 23 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 52.82% loss in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $23.58 per share implies 17.78% upside potential.
