The Empire Strikes Back

I'm sorry, I had to copy the Merc on the headline.

So it happened. Intel released the Core 2 Duo, their answer to AMD's assault on the industry Intel once ruled. As the Merc reports, the Core 2 Duo has up to 40% more processing power and uses 40% less electricity than today's chips, accomplished by putting two computing brains on the same chip.

Time will tell if this is the technological innovation Intel needs to leapfrog AMD. I'm going to refrain from taking my usual highly opinionated (and often minority) stance, but I will say that its success truly depends on the quality of the technology. For all the advancements in chips, I think customers still want more - this chip doesn't, in my opinion, surpass consumer demand in terms of processing power.

But then again, it won't be long until AMD answers, and once they come out with a similar quality chip, the price war will return, slashing margins and leaving Intel in the same position they are in now.

No biggie, though, as that's life in pretty much any industry.