Looks like the EU is on the war path. After fining Microsoft 497 billion pounds for anti-competition behaviour, Intel is now at its cross-hairs. They are fining Intel more than 2 times the amount they've fined Microsoft. 1.06 billion pounds! I thought that I've mis-read the amount.
I was a supporter of AMD chips back in the good old days. Back in the days where I still like to DIY, I've always chosen AMD chips. They are cheap, and generally quite okay for normal office work, and some non-FPS games. I still remember rushing to get the AMD Athlon chip when it was first released. Guess what? I'm still using that old desktop. It's still surviving quite well, although a little slow now.
However back in those days, it's near impossible to get any AMD branded computers anywhere in the market. The past few years were slightly better. I guessed it may be because Intel was preparing ammunition for this lawsuit by EU. 10 over years ago, you can never see a AMD inside in any of the branded computers. The only way to get a AMD computer previously is to build one yourself. Most of the computers I built last time are all based on the AMD chips.
Anyone who studies basic economics know that monopoly is ALWAYS bad for the consumers. Why? Simple. Human behaviour. It leads to complacency. Intel has fallen behind AMD a few times back in the days when I was tracking their benchmarks. Without AMD, I'm sure our Intel chips won't become as powerful as what we're having now.
That aside... 1.06 billion pounds is quite a big sum. I wonder what is EU thinking about when they gave that amount?
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