No, AMD don't give up... we don't need another monopoly here, I mean it's a known fact that Intel is faster than AMD, but come on, if there is no competition of prices what will happen to the processor market (just look at the 3930K vs the 3960K, Intel charges over $600 extra to get just a relatively little performance boost). Ivybridge will be way to overpriced compared to the pricing of the i7 2000 series processors if there is no competition (and I wonder if they'll even change the prices for the 2000 series).

AMD aren't going anywhere. They are however looking at the high volume entry- mainstream markets

That's a joke right ? You realise the last time AMD footed it with Intel at the same (or greater) level of performance they were charging $700 to $800 to $1000.

Now, if AMD are such an altruistic company- who by their very existance, supposedly ensure lower prices, why are they recommending a $549 MSRP for the HD 7970 ? Surely, if Rory Read is the epitome of the modern humanitarian, wouldn't AMD have priced the card at say $399 (or even price at GTX 580 MSRP) and ensured the same level of supposed competition ?

Nah! You know what's going to happen ? Exactly the same as what happens every other time with every other IHV: Wallet-rape the early adopters and lower prices when you're forced to. AMD have adopted cheap pricing (CPU) simply because they lag in every performance metric. Years of tinkering with an old architecture and offering it for cheap -banging the value-for-money drum, and setting themselves as some kind of tech moral compass -which in all actuality is more a product of management's deficiencies in strategic planning.

Whoops. There goes another poorly researched comment. So who do you like in Superbowl XLVI...Cleveland ?

AMD has mostly delivered the better product contrary to "reviews" and BS benchmarks.

I fully support AMD and have done so ever since the Athlon CPU (Slot A) came to the market. They beat Intel to 1 GHz when Intel was at the Pentium III stage. The Pentium IV was a joke and during that time AMD excelled with the Athlon XP series. I must have built over a dozen computers since 2000 and each and every one runs with an AMD CPU. Why? Because Intel is a corrupt company that uses illegal marketing practices both here and in other countries. I hope I never have to resort to building a computer with an Intel CPU. My latest Bulldozer machine is using the FX8150 and I am very pleased with it's performance. I hope AMD continues to be a major player in the desktop market.

I can say the same thing about Intel but that doesn't mean I am going to downgrade the other player. If you like AMD fine, I'm happy for you but shut up about Intel, especially when you say you haven't used their CPU's at all the last 12 years.

This one is probably a stupid question but here goes. Does one of those SoC designs that AMD is referring to have enough horsepower to run a full size desktop PC ? or does it just apply to mobile devices ?

Kind of depends what your definition of "horsepower" is. If you're not gaming to any serious extent and not particularly worried about time taken in productivity/content creation apps - basically the same limitations that apply to a lot of cheaper mobile systems, then the first SoC designs shouldn't offer too much different from the Brazos systems + better graphics (Brazos utilizes HD 6300 level graphics). A capable HTPC. A lot depends on whether AMD keep to the timelines and/or don't keep changing specifications as they have been known to so.
As Anand noted in his excellent analysis of AMD's latest FAD, until AMD actually offer something in silicon it still reains conjecture as to what level of performance, and what shape the SoC's take:

I'm not sure AMD themselves know exactly what shape the SoC's will take, judging by the fact that they have yet to hire all the people responsible for bringing the designs to fruition

The market will buy the better chip "IF ITS ALLOWED TO". Intel have better chips now, but resorted to nefarious means in the past. But thats Y2k. Intel *have* been coasting since c2d, they couldnt believe the non/ incompetence of AMD. Now that others are stepping into thier patch, and that patch is shrinking, they are having to up their game, back to normal development cycles. They can milk the desktop/Server market @50% profit margin to use in their war to take over the tablet/smartphone MID sector. If you throw enough money at problems they tend to dissolve. DesKTop CPu's will be minor segment in five years. In some ways being the underdog and doing so badly allows AMD the leeway to take drastic action. Hector Ruin is gone, they are talking about using ARM IP, maybe they will be the top arm chipmaker, along with those tegra people