I confess, I’m a bit of a budding audiophile.  I’m really into sound – specifically authentic reproduction of music.  When I find myself with a few spare minutes, I’m always on the internet looking into new equipment reviews, mostly speakers and amplifiers, and trying to find anything that will improve the quality of my system such that my experience is more pure, more authentic.  Though I’ve spent a fraction of what some high-end audio geeks have, if you sit in my listening room and close your eyes for a few seconds, you’d think the musician was in the same space, performing for your entertainment only.

Isn’t that what it’s all about – the experience?

A few nights ago I was reflecting on the difficulty buyers’ face in comparing the kinds of audio gear, power amplifiers, pre-amps, speakers, etc.  Most of the spec sheets and comparisons read roughly the same, using a few scientific measures such as RMS (root mean square) where either the buyer truly doesn’t understand how the measure is calculated, or there really is no meaningful axis of differentiation across the measure (too many products with  the same or close scores). And, buyers rarely use the product in the way in which it is sold.  Maximum power on amplifiers clearly may differentiate one product from another, but most buyers use less than 20% of total capacity. Here’s another relevant analogy from a different industry: car magazines advertise 0-60 mph times and ¼ mile speed tests, but rarely do you find that you drive your car that way or use that capability in an automobile.

Such is the same in the computer industry. We need to get to a world where buyers, and ultimately users, have evaluation tools in the purchase process that accurately correlate with how they intend to use the product, yet still allow some measure of objectivity.

That’s why at AMD we’re working to change the way customers buy computers with our VISION Technology.  We understand that computing isn’t just about buying a machine riddled with technical numbers – it’s about purchasing an experience – so we’re shifting away from talking about components that make up a computer to what consumers actually want to do with them.

Today’s announcement is further proof from AMD that we think it’s more important to focus on our partners and communicate the value of the computing experience rather than the AMD brand alone. As we enter the next phase of our VISION technology launch, AMD and its partners plan to bring more than 130 new mainstream and ultrathin notebooks to consumers and organizations under the VISION Technology banner.  We’re also expanding VISION Technology to desktop PCs –for both the mainstream and enthusiast classes. Now with so many more products to choose from, our partners no longer have to focus on strongly communicating the minutiae of speeds and feeds. Our channel partners can instead help their customers understand what their computer can do for them in the real world, making it simpler than ever to put a highly capable PC in customers’ hands.

We’re confident that when the computer sales process represents more of how the product is used, more consumers, businesses and governments will turn to AMD.  And, perhaps this approach will take hold in other industries as well. I can only hope this approach takes hold in the home audio industry before it’s time to upgrade my system again.

David Kenyon is VP of WW Channel Marketing for AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.