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AMD Announces A Shift In Focus From PC Processors
slughead writes "Forbes Magazine is reporting that AMD will no longer compete with Intel to make faster, smaller, and more efficient processors. Just as Mac users would be worse off if Windows didn't exist, Intel users will be much worse now that AMD will no longer compete. You see, there's this thing called demand, and when there are no competing products in a market, a good or service will always increase the price to the economic equilibrium, unless forced not to by the state (forget that right now, communists!!). In English: you're going to get less new technology, and higher prices on existing technology." On the other hand, AMD is definitely not exiting the chip business -- they're just trying to branch out from chips for microcomputers.
For those too lazy to click though, here's a sample quote:
It says nothing about "not competing with Intel". What a load of sensationalist crap.
Slashdot.
Tabloid News for nerds.
-- kwashiorkor --
Leaps in Logic
should not be confused with
Jumping to Conclusions.
Exactly what I was going to say. Even the submittor didnt seem to rtfa, its clear as day. to quote:
Ruiz brought out executives and representatives from Gibson Guitar Company, George Lucas' JAK Films and supercomputer company Cray Inc. to illustrate the technology that Sunnyvale, California-based AMD was delivering outside personal computers.
All this article really means is that AMD is not going to let its only horse in the technology race be one in PC Processors, they want to branch out and put their products into as many markets as they can stomach/reach.
I agree with parent, read the fuckin article...
I'm a little tea pot.
When there are no competing products in a market, the door is wide open for competition. As the equilibrium price rises (out of lack of competition), the barrier to entry lowers. As the barrier is lowered, competing firms will surface. These firms will fight it out until one "wins" by forcing the others out of business. Then there are no competitors in the market, and the door is wide open for competition...
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
AMD will put compatibility ahead of sheer speed. The press release mentions embedded devices, but also demos of 64-bit game and database software. AMD is emphasizing that its 64-bit processor has better backward compatibility than Intel's with 32-bit software, even though its 64-bit mode is slower. This looks to me like a bid for industry support for its x86-64 architecture, hardly a concession of the PC market.
May I remind you that Intel is not exclusively in the chip market either. Intel spread to new concepts in computing years ago and are better of for it (e.g. From their site: Consulting Services, Compilers, Performance Analyzers, Threading Tools, Training Center, LANDesk* Software etc...) While most of these are certainly related to the PC chip industry it is not nearly as narrow as AMD.
In doing what Intel did years ago, they are actually increasing their competitiveness. In fact a quick look at Intel's (INTC) financials confirm just that.
Hats off to AMD. for keeping capitalism and competitiveness alive.
I hate people that dont have a sig
Unless the temperature in your house is regularly exceeding 100F
Let me tell you as someone who knows quite a bit about heating and cooling -- that's not entirely true. One or two degrees in the case can equate to one or two more degrees in the case
Because the inside of a computer is generating heat, that generated heat has to go somewhere in order for the system to stay cool. In most cases that heat is dispersed out of the case. The cooler the ambient temperature, the easier that heat flows out. Quite simply, cooler air takes heat off of a heatsink easier than than warmer air, even if the difference is only a few degrees.
The difference between a 72 degree room and a 75 degree room can be enough to take an otherwise rock solid system and turn it into something that crashes non-stop. Given just a little more heat, It may become too unstable to even post all the time.
"Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
I think the market fall was due to their credit rating being dropped. (It's mentioned briefly in the article)
"The offer curve is flat, so the one that has the most R&D has a higher return ..."
Please do note the link between flat offer curve and the fact if you have more cash, you can also (and always) have more R&D than your competitors. So you can always have a better product if you want (and you DO want to). So you are almost always (almost = if you miscalculate R&D in one period, you just add extra R&D for the next products) selling better products, have better fabs and lead the market, ad infinitum, untill and if some other technology you did not foresee and cannot buy takes over you.
unfinished: (adj.)
Motorola did the same thing a few years ago and that's why IBM is now Apples only source of PPC.
I bet there are a lot of motherboard engineer that will be looking for work when this happens.
Probably got rejected because it wasn't a dupe from last week. (rimshot)
Thank you, I'll be here all week.
I buy plenty of stuff through pricewatch, and with only one exception have I ever had a problem. If you're scared about the reputation of a company go here: http://www.resellerratings.com/
Check out what other people have said about a certain place you're about to buy something from. Also, pricewatch does have feedback where you can send a complaint about a reseller.
Question everything that you've accepted without thinking.
AMD has never been a CPU only company, just like Intel isn't a CPU only company. You really only hear about Intel's motherboard chipsets and ethernet controllers, but they do a lot of other stuff. Likewise, while AMD may be relatively new to motherboard chipsets, they've been making ethernet controllers for a long time. You never hear about the other stuff, since it mostly goes into embedded/proprietary/special-purpose stuff, so it seems to the casual observer that both companies are totally dependent on the desktop PC.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
eWeek has another write up...
AMD ... said that making semiconductors smaller, cheaper and faster was no longer the key for an effective strategy.
They said it's no longer the key, which doesn't mean they won't invest some resources into smaller/cheaper/faster. I think they are just reacting to a market that is saying "for the most part your last generation of processors were small, cheap and fast enough - I don't need an upgrade right now, thanks".
The reality is that many people with 300MHz machines don't feel compelled to upgrade at all. Least of all to an Athlon XP 2800+. When these people do decide to upgrade to a 1GHz machine, AMD will be in there competing with Intel. It's the high end freaks who will feel AMDs absence. They just aren't a big enough market to justify the expense of developing and producing better high end processors.
Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
Edward Everett (1794 - 1865)