"re:"I think AMD should still do very well in the mainstream desktop market. They
really ought to
steer clear of Coppermine-128 and Timna, since Intel can really crank up production on
those
and drop prices like crazy. But if AMD can push the mid-range segments into 1 GHz
(i.e.
Gateway 1 GHz desktops going for $2500), they should make a handsome ransom."
I pretty much agree."
With the 850 MHz, AMD has begun to move the mid-range to 700 MHz. Once 1 Ghz
chips are released, we probably aren't going to see new chips released that are just 50
MHz faster. By November 1, 2000, AMD should have 1.2 or 1.3 GHz Athlons as its
high end chip, thus hitting the target of 1 Ghz for the mid-range in time for the Christmas
buying season. If there is a 1 GHz PIII by Christmas, it's going to damn expensive and
probably not geared for home consumers and small businesses.
Further, except for NiceGuy, we under appreciate the international sales that the Athlon
provides AMD. Even if they want Intel chips, most foreign businesses, outside of the
top multinationals, can't afford the high end systems that American corporations
purchase. By the end of the year, AMD should have made significant market penetration
in the sale of computers to the corporate market in Asia and Europe. Now that AMD is
producing millions of Athlons, the 1Q 2000 should give us some indication of its
success in the international market. |
