Every once in a while, I simply stick my foot in my mouth. And readers call me on it -- as they should. Last week, when writing about how AMD (NYSE:AMD) had challenged Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) to a duel, I mistakenly mentioned that AMD was struggling in the server market.
Considering that I also wrote about how well the Opteron and Athlon line of processors has done for AMD, I knew better. Nonetheless, a mistake was made. AMD has actually been gaining market share at a fairly steady clip in the last couple of years. According to a Mercury Research report at the end of the second quarter, AMD's share was up to 11.2% from 7.4% a year ago. These pieces of information aren't found in SEC filings, but they can be quite important to investors. Particularly when those investors are looking at a company that has flirted with profitability over the years, and whose flash memory division obscures the profitability of the processor business.
As a PC hobbyist, I've built PCs for years, because I prefer having control over all of the components. But I've also helped friends order machines from Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Gateway (NYSE:GTW), and others. This is a roundabout way of saying that I'm well aware of the Intel-AMD sparring over the years, which is why I decided to write about how humorous I find the duel to be in the first place.
It's also why my bottom-line opinion on this action doesn't change: It's still a bunch of hoopla. That brings me to the second point I want to cover today. I also received a number of emails full of simple blind passion for AMD. I can understand this for its products, but not for its shares. Save your blind passion for your loved ones, sports, and maybe occasionally products -- but not investments. With investments, your best approach is a healthy amount of skepticism and detachment.
Nathan Parmelee has no financial interest in any of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy . Dell is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick.
