Re: Marketing: why do we need it again
As I recall, the change from Goldstar (which wasn't a worldwide brand I think) to LG also coincided with a change from outsourcing and badge-manufacturing to in-house. Certainly LG made their own plasma panels (and were the last to continue to do so, after Panasonic dropped theirs) and the quality of the TVs which used said panels was not at all bad (I still have a couple in use, though they are beginning to show signs of age). The same went for subsequent LCD models; I have some LG and Sharp units bought at around about the same time, and the LG still has a significantly better picture for non-HD sources; better processing. Still buy Panasonic for commercial use though.
Datsun --> Nissan in the 1980s (Europe)? Also coincided with a step-change in build quality.
Royal Ulster Constabulary --> Police Service of Northern Ireland? Not sure how well that one's going.
Marathon (a name apparently unique to the UK) --> Snickers? Still smarting over that one (and Opal Fruits to Starburst; I don't think I've bought a pack since!).
Jif --> Cif and Oil of Ulay --> Olay simply so they could use the same labels across Europe?
For the past several years I've been buying AMD processors for building computers. In general they have been cheaper and less power-hungry than the equivalent Intel parts. For moderate desktop use, the A-series processors might not have been (quite) as fast as contemporary Intel parts, but other than that they worked really well for me.
Ryzen is fantastic, but expensive in comparison and I was utterly gobsmacked when AMD dropped the older (and cheaper) parts altogether. The price difference with Intel is not as great now, and if chiplet manufacturing can reduce the costs further, I might be on my way back to Intel.
That said, if the performance/efficiency cores thing is there mainly to deal with Intel's historically poor power consumption, I'd prefer it if they'd get their act together on that front first. Oh, and if they are going to rebrand, make it easier to understand what you are getting. Cars (particularly of the 1970s and 1980s) are a fantastic example; is the "T" better than the "L", and what about the "TL"? Is the "GTL" a better spec than the "TX"? (my dad had a lot of Renaults in the 70s and 80s) Even aged about five I spotted the cynical marketing behind Ford's "Ghia" - this is the car we've fitted all the "gear" to... (this in the day when a neighbour had a company Vauxhall Viva, bought as a fleet car it didn't even have a heater matrix, so the air coming out of the vents was always cold!)
That seems to be a common theme with failed rebrandings - confuse the punter.
M.