The news release headline reads “Intel Adds Momentum, AMD Makes Long-Term Gains in Q1 Microprocessor Market”
The first part is right, the second part is at best spin.
Take a look at the chart (based on iSuppli’s own numbers):
Please note that this is revenue share, not unit sales, so the share isn’t impacted by seasonal shifts in production.
It’s clear that AMD was popping along quite nicely at a little better than a 16% revenue share during 2006, then had a huge 30%+ drop in Q1 2007. AMD got back about half that the next quarter, then improved a bit the next two quarters, only to suffer a 10% drop in Q1 2008.
I think an objective conclusion from the data is that AMD has half-recovered from a huge hit.
That’s not what iSuppli said:
“AMD’s PC microprocessor product portfolio has become much stronger during the last year, particularly on the desktop side,” [the iSuppli analyst] said. “Customers clearly are responding to AMD’s moves. At the beginning of the year we saw AMD add the quad-core Phenom microprocessors to its desktop portfolio, which it has since built on with tri-core and dual-core flavors, for the prosumer and business markets.”
Hmmmm. The only clear customer response I see to AMD’s moves at the beginning of the year is that revenues went down. Then again, this guy sees dual-core Phenoms out there.
To be fair, the current quarter will be the first quarter in which Phenoms have a chance at making some real revenue impact, but given that the vast majority of AMD production is still K8-generation product slowly drifting downward in price; Phenoms will probably be more like a plug on a leaking, sinking ship than a pump.
I don’t know, reading that kind of spin is like reading a piece on how much better New Orleans has gotten the last year. Well, yeah, it’s gotten better, but they’re still in recovery.
Be the first to comment