The latest issue of The Microprocessor Report, considered to be a credible source of industry tendencies, features a comparison of AMD's 1.2 GHz processor with the P4 1.5 GHz.
According to the report, despite the lower clock speed the AMD processor will perform better than the P4 by about 12 percent, in current systems. The editor of the article stresses the "current systems" phrase, since he goes on to suggest that the reason behind the disappointing performance of the P4 is that programmers have not yet had the time to react to the P4's features by adapting their software.
The article claims that the situation will tilt in Intel's favor once software is fully adapted to the changes introduced by the new chip. Much like the situation following the introduction of MMX processors.5 years ago, predictions suggest Intel will regain the edge.
Regaining the edge as far as performance is concerned will focus everyone's attention on Intel's pricing policy. It is considered certain that if they decide to maintain their old pricing ways, most consumers will turn away from the once almighty company.
The source article can be found in the links section, but requires a subscription to The Microprocessor Report.