Intel Corp (INTC)

[mas]

but why attack from the low-tier? They're basically racing to the bottom against Spreadtrum/MTK etc...

A bottom from which the others cannot ultimately compete, at least the fabless others so everyone apart from Intel and Samsung. Intel can produce at raw die cost indefinitely until the opposition fades away. Atom also has more raw development potential than its ARM rivals which now look like PC/Server chips from a decade ago. This mobile strategy is like Intel's original Server strategy, a marathon one based on performance/price and will require considerable time to bear fruit, 14nm is when it starts taking shape for the long haul.