Intel, OEMs Face Lawsuit For Megahertz Marketing

prostoalex writes "A group of PC owners filed a lawsuit against Intel, Gateway and HP, stating that companies spread misleading information about Pentium 4 processor performing faster than Pentium 3 or Athlon. The complaint alleges that 'the Pentium 4 is less powerful and slower than the Pentium III and/or the AMD Athlon.' PC World has more details in its story." I wonder if the same litigants have a suit against the USPS for ads leading one to expect prompt service from courteous, competent employees.

Comments

Re:It *was* unethical

[Tablizer]

While most Slashdot readers see through computer marketing hype, the average person (you know, the other 99%) doesn't have the time or the inclination to do real research on every PC component they purchase. Is that Intel's fault? No.

There are many parallels in other industries. For example, makers of hobby telescopes often use "power" (magnification) to compare scopes. However, magnification is a misleading benchmark. The most important metrics are the main apature and the quality optics, but most people don't know this. (The term "precision ground" is supposed to mean something in the business, but enforcement is weak.)

One can manufacture a $20 scope with 1000x magnification, but it would be useless because the image would be dim and blurry.

Manufactures end up including an eyepeice with useless magnification so that they can put a big number on the box. Hopefully the kit also includes some usable eyepeices in the mix.