April 24, 2003

 A RETRACTION

In regards to yesterday’s newsletter, I am writing a “retraction,” of sorts, regarding Intel and the release of the 3GHz 800MHz FSB processor.  An old friend and long time customer sent me an email telling me I should stop bad mouthing Intel.  I just want to clarify my point of view.  For the most part I just write about the things I read. 

Intel is definitely the leader in processor technology.  I believe their products are superior to any other manufacturer even though AMD is hot on their heels.  My complaint is the same for Intel as it is for Microsoft - The end user is the guinea pig.  They are the ones who discover the flaws.  They are the ones who must take the hit for the manufacturers failure to properly test products before they are released.  This has been a common complaint in the industry for years.  It is the reason that people won’t immediately move to new products when they are released.  They fear the glitches.  I can’t even begin to count the number of times people have said to me, I will wait for release 2 or I will wait until the bugs are worked out.

 Don’t get me wrong.  AMD is not faultless in this area.  However, I have closer ties with AMD.  I know their process of testing.  I don’t have as close a relationship with Intel because they are a much larger company.  I only report what I read.  I also back the underdog having been there myself.

I am not anti-Intel.  On the contrary, quick analyses of our sales show a significant increase in Pentium 4 processor sales for the first quarter of this year putting Intel in the lead over AMD.

  S&K