[news=http://img115.echo.cx/img115/815/amdintel2fw.gif]Intel warned on Friday that its revenue for the first quarter would come in at between $8.7 billion and $9.1 billion, roughly $500 million lower than estimates the company issued in January. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker cited a weak market and a "slight" market share loss.
Analysts generally agree about the market, but are putting more emphasis on the loss of share. Some have pointed to the momentum shown by Advanced Micro Devices, which has been far more aggressive over the past 18 months. The rival chipmaker has been strengthening its ties to PC makers, most prominently with Hewlett-Packard, and keeping prices low.
"They have been very aggressive about getting share and getting shelf space. We haven't seen a lot from Intel," NPD Techworld analyst Steve Baker said.
AMD's surge can be seen most strongly in the U.S. retail market, which accounts for about 9 percent of global PC shipments. In the first seven weeks of 2006, AMD's share in desktops in that area climbed to 81.5 percent, while Intel's has slid to 18.5 percent, Baker said. That's almost a complete reversal of their typical relative positions.
In notebooks, Intel's share has declined to 63 percent, even though Baker and others generally agree that Intel enjoys a technological advantage in laptops.
Source: http://news.com.com/Strike%20three%2...l?tag=nefd.top[/news]
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