Re: Well then ...? (Score 1)

It seems to me that much of what you are saying with regard to Dell being primarily a manufacturing company, thus basing their decision on total cost (as opposed to market perceptions) is largely true. Assuming that it is, this seems to lead to the interesting question of what is the most efficient manufacturing company building AMD systems? What other "AMD inside" firms are most likely to use the "Dell strategy" to improve their productivity and eventually put pressure on their nearest competitors in terms of cost? It would seem that until such a firm emerges, Dell will face no serious pressure to sell AMD processors.

It is not personally important to me one way or the other now. I use two Dell machines but will most likely buy a new Opteron for my next desktop purchase). However, as a consumer I generally tend to benefit when competition is alive and well in the market place, so although I am typically looking for the best product at the best price, I don't like to always buy from the same company, even if they have a good product because in the long run I benefit more by spreading my purchases among a variety of vendors. As consumers we must be wary when we conclude that the lower prices from near monopolistic (very large) vendors will always be the best. Although it may be true now, it may be that in the future they will never be as low as what they might have been had competition remained in the market place.