Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[UpNDown]

CRN: AMD Exec Blasts Intel Wireless Technology

Well, seems I spoke too early (see #msg-1780756).

http://www.crn.com/sections/BreakingNews/breakingnews.asp?ArticleID=46155

An executive of chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices took a shot at rival Intel's Centrino technology, calling the wireless component of Intel's offering "garbage" and suggesting the company misleads the market.

Kevin Knox, director of worldwide enterprise business development for AMD, Sunnyvale, Calif., made the remarks during a keynote at the Enterprise IT Week conference held in Las Vegas, which is held at the same time as Comdex.

"They have put $300 million into marketing, and have convinced you of a lot of things that aren't true," Knox said.

"It's not a processor," he said, noting that Centrino is Intel's bundle of a chipset, mobile processor and wireless technology bundled in a single solution.

"The chip is good," Knox said. "The wireless technology they bundle with the chip is garbage. But if you want Centrino, you've got to take that technology.

...

Ruiz should have made this personal at the Lehman Brothers Conference. He should have said "I know some of you analysts have Centrino notebooks. You don't realize now that Intel sold you overpriced, obsolete technology in their 802.11b wireless solution. But you will soon."

If AMD repeats this criticism whenever possible, the big-spending execs who got Centrinos will feel cheated and Intel will never seem the same again to them.