RE:"But it is very difficult to buy a system at retail in the US. Yep, you can get a system via an SD shop. Yep, you can order the parts and build your own. Yep, you can order one from Compaq or Micron online, but not HP. What you cannot do is march into any of the retailers in the US and take an XP-based system home. Every once in a while one will turn up, but usually the shelves are lined with P4 systems. I gather it is the same in Europe, at least outside of German supermarkets, and I know it is the same in The Great Walk In Ice Box you live in. Whatever the reasons might be, and we can speculate endlessly on them, these are the facts. On the other hand, AMD does seem to be moving processors somewhere in large amounts and at decent prices, the prices seem to be more or less stable on PriceWatch and similar places. On yet another hand (being hopelessly ambidextrous), AMD seems to be doing well in laptops and at least getting good PR on dual servers and workstations (is BMW and Lucas building their own? Notice that these PR releases never mention the manufacturer."
Like I and others have been saying. All I can say is that IF AMD can sell record numbers of processors with virtually no retail shelf space then it's a miracle, IMHO.
I'm really at a loss as to why there are virtually no XPs at retail in the US. Intel must have pulled a coup when AMD switched over from the Thunderbird to the Palomino, late.
RE:"With the Mother of All Price Wars coming in 2002, it will be interesting to see if Intel and AMD can actually turn a profit. I think that is where the problem will lie..."
Looks like Intel won the price war this summer...helped by AMD delays of course. Trouble for AMD is that they are now the Mhz loser and Northwood has a smaller die than Willamete..so Intel can wage war now before AMD gets to .13u..
Like you said, expect a price war and Intel will fight to retain market share, bet on it.
Jim |
