Sneak was perplexed to learn that AMD has selected Sempron as the name of its latest chip line. The new brand replaces Duron at the cheap-and-cheerful end of the processing spectrum, below the Athlon and Opteron, but the new word itself seems to Sneak like a very lacklustre bag of letters, even for the bargain basement. Duron always seemed like a great name, sounding durable, dependable and sturdy. Similarly, Athlon quite clearly creates thoughts of athleticism, fitness and (via decathlon) versatility. And Opteron conjures up associations with optimism, optimisation and precision. But Sempron? It puts Sneak in mind of semolina. Or Semtex. Or, because of the "pron" bit, things that Sneak is sure AMD does not want to associate itself with. Sneak wonders, therefore, whether AMD tried to cut corners (and consulting fees) by coming up with the name all by itself. Previously, AMD has consistently turned to branding firm Master-McNeil for advice - it coined Duron, Athlon, Opteron and even AMD64. If, by some chance, Master-McNeil was responsible for Sempron, then Sneak takes the new name as proof that there are, after all, only so many combinations of 26 letters. All the good words must already be taken. Sneak therefore looks forward to the next new AMD chip being proudly launched under the name Crapton.

14 Jun 2004