Once again, Dell plays chess with Intel and AMD ... or is that checkers?In what seems like a bi- or tri-yearly tradition, Dell once again lead AMD on with a possible business deal, only to shoot them down and "decide" that they will stick with Intel. Surprised? Puh-leeze.
Apparently the reason this time is because Intel has "regained its footing", which no doubt refers to the launch of their Pentium 4 6xx line, as well as their upcoming dual-core Pentium 4s which are slated for a Q2 release.
This isn't the first time that Dell has played such games, and most people in the industry don't expect Dell to start selling systems with AMD processors whenever they start these talks. The general belief is that Dell does it to get certain benefits from Intel, like say, price cuts.
The comments from chief executive Kevin Rollins dashed expectations that Dell would eventually use both Intel and AMD chips in its personal computers. AMD shares lost as much as 4 percent, before closing down just over 2 percent.
"That's looking like 'No'," Rollins, speaking at an investor conference in Phoenix, said of the company's consideration of using AMD chips. "For a while it was looking like 'Yes."'
For now, Dell remains the only major PC maker worldwide to build PCs exclusively using Intel microprocessors.
In some circles, Dell is beginning to be referred to as "Dull". Anyone with their eyes open sees that Athlon 64s are selling like hotcakes. Standing in line at Netlink on Kingsway on Boxing Day, I counted no less than 5 people walking out with a cart stacked high with an entire set of components. On top of each cart? An Athlon 64 box. I counted one person with a Pentium 4.
Who knows, though. Watching the general consumer at stores like Futureshop, it's apparent that the next Dell box with "Intel 64-bit Technology!" plastered all over the chassis will sell.
