How are we having this chat?
I'm not saying you can't launch both at the same time, but the theoretical time you can do that is later than the theoretical time you launch without X3D because the process takes time. It's that simple.
It seems, from the marketing POV, there is a great value in introducing the new generation of the product by launching the strongest product first. Good impression from that initial introduction improves the sales of lower tier products of the same generation.
In case of AMD, X3D products are those strongest products.
Earlier time of introduction of a weaker product seems to have minimum to negative value.
Cases in point:
- Zen 4, non-X3D
- Zen 5, non-X3D
They sold almost nothing, did not make it to Top 5 or Top 10 products sold.
In short, launching a weak product early generated very little in terms of financial return and generated negative PR for the new generation.
Using your terminology. If T is the time the first that non-xcd chips can launch. While I don't agree with your lengths of time for each process I'll use them to make this easy. First batch in production starts at T-2. Second batch at T-1. First batch ready at T. You launch. It you now have to add x3D that first batch is ready at T+1 and is ready alongside the second batch ton be sold also at T+1.
That's correct. But I don't think the "+1" is a problem.
If you take into account PR, mindshare - these are more important than a month or two months of sales of new generation.
You can't just hand wave this away in the way I think you dis in your response and start everything earlier. You can't just make the design process quicker so you can launch both at time T.
You also can't wave away the reality of PR, marketing, and how the "generations" work these days.
In the past, Intel could launch a "Pentium 100" and even if it wasn't overwhelmingly better, people knew there would be 133, 166, 200, 250 MHz.
In that, past reality, your argument is sound. But it doesn't work that way any more.
The length of time you have a delay (vs what you could have launched at) is the length of time it takes to process the x3D chips from a non x3D chip. In this example, one month.
This also assumes away the lower capacity of making x3D. Which means you need lots more time before you can launch both. It won't happen until there is lots and lots of packaging capacity, capacity that isn't available to AMD to my knowledge.
Launching top end product before full availability is also not a big problem. In fact, the way human psychology works, it may be even better. It is better to have more people looking to buy your product than to have more product than people want to buy.
It creates more pent-up demand and assures good sales for months (and years) to come.
And a big one on top of that:
no discounts
