It appears that the rumors that started late last week were indeed true, Intel has given its consumer Nehalem processors an official name, the Intel Core processor. There will be two different variations for the Bloomfield-based parts and we're not sure how Intel came up with the new "identifiers," as they call it, but you're looking at Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme.

It could hardly be any more confusing, but the official press release from Intel states, "This is the first of several new identifiers to come as different products launch over the next year," so we're expecting more new letter and number combinations to appear once Lynnfield and Havendale draws closer to completion.

The press release goes on to state that "Intel will include processor model numbers to differentiate each chip," which means that there will be additional numbers that we need to remember to be able to tell the various chips apart, just as with the current line-up.

The logos will differ, as you can see below, the Extreme Edition gets a black logo while the more mainstream parts get a blue logo. We're not sure about you, but we thought that Intel Core sounds like a slower option to an Intel Core 2 processor and the i7 moniker doesn't really say much, except that the processor isn't a Core 2 Duo.

Intel also stated, "Expect Intel to focus even more marketing resources around that name and the Core i7 products starting now," which we think will be needed to make the general public understand that the Core i7 is a faster and better alternative than the Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, since these names are now very deeply rooted with the less tech-savvy users, thanks to past marketing efforts by Intel.

We would expect more details to emerge during IDF which kicks off next week, so stay tuned for more updates about the Intel Core i7 architecture.

You can find the press release here.