Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[sgolds]

Elmer, Opteron and Athlon64 have totally different release dynamics because Athlon64 will be a much higher volume product. One cannot seriously expect Opteron to be an instant hit, it will have to perform six months in an IS lab before any users are put on it. Servers are a slow sell.

Athlon64, on the other hand, will be a consumer product and will need huge volumes in the channel by mid November.

So, there may be similar numbers of Opterons available in April as Athlon64s in September. It would be enough to fill early demand for Opteron, but Athlon64 will be very hard to get at the same production numbers.

Further, for a server sale, companies need reliable source. You can't play the game of boosting demand through shortages. AMD had better be able to meet Opteron demand for corporations, but there is a good marketing reason to keep the 'unwashed masses' wanting more.