Intel Corp (INTC)

[imho]

mas,

Intel spokesman Howard High said the intent of the technology agreement is to have a single architecture that will replace all others from either company.

"It's a very competitive marketplace," he said. "We like to think that Intel keeps enough things happening on the table to keep all of our competitors worried."

First, how is Howard High's quote supportive of the statement you have highlighted above? It seems that this is the conclusion of the author.

Second, this guy Gwenapp is, like you, reading too much into what was happening back then. For example he says:

"The biggest point of this announcement is the fact that Intel is signalling that the x86 architecture they've been using for so long is running out of steam," said Gwennap. "This is the first time they've admitted that in public."

First he determines that this is all a "signal". Then he goes further and calls it an "admission". Say what? Sure it is a good guess and logical, but that does not make it right.

Somehow, however, it does not surprise me that fans of AMD would see this as conclusive evidence. But do not think for a minute that if the Merced had turned out so great as to take over every segment that Intel would not have been happy or claimed that was not the intent all along.

IMHO