Hi Tony, RE: "Yeah, he doesn't even have Intel in there. Sorry, couldn't resist."
LOL!
About your chinese wall question... the moment the product differential gets less distinguishable (i.e. SUN uses the same chip as other IA-64 vendors), it puts Sun squarely in the IA-64 camp, which in turn opens up competitive evaluations between other IA-64 vendors (Sun's competitors). So, if I were Scottie, I would be tempted to not open up this door (but I would because I would be more concerned about remaining competitive in the long-term). So, if I were Scottie, I would use the Intel chip because the reality is: you've got to do what is long-term competitive, not short-term defensive. i.e. since the Intel chip is better, by not moving to Intel's chip, they essentially put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. A short-term defensive move isn't a good idea. It's always better to be long-term competitive. Same theory applies to cannibalizing your own product lines. The companies that do this, do it well, and remain competitive. The companies that don't do this, don't remain competitive.
Regards,
Amy J PS Yeah, he should have had INTC in his profile :) |
