Re: The problem at AMD ain't Intel, its AMD
While AMD certainl has had it's own share of internal conflicts and CEOs focused on bonuses rather than long term success, Intel has also been a problem because of their unscrupulous buying of sales and intimidation of OEMs who have used or have wanted to sell AMD products. This intimidation didn't end with Intel's conviction for these crimes.
If Rory Read succeeds, he'll be labled a genius. If he fails then a lot of damage will have been done by him in particular with the recent reorganization of AMD. While tablets and portables are certainly market segments worth pursuing, doing so at the cost of AMD's X86 base, would be suicide. Hopefully Read is smart enough to know who to hire to rejuvinate AMD's desktop and server business as their laptop, APU and GPU Biz is quite good already.
In the very dynamic PC market that exists it will take a lot of hard work and a good crystal ball to stay ahead of the demand curve and reap good profits. AMD may struggle for years before they break through again, but it is highly probable they will once again be able to compete with Intel at the very top of the CPU ranks, though they have no problem with providing superior performance and value in the mid-range and low end segments. AMD's current IP advantage in APUs is quite an asset as that is the future.