It has been almost a year since announcing the 1GHz processor for desktop systems, and both Intel and AMD seem to be celebrating by launching 1GHz versions of their chips for mobile applications. However, AMD seems to be taking the rougher road and experiencing the difficulties in this round of the game.

That's right, starting today (Monday, March 19, 2001), laptops equipped with 1GHz (1000 MHz) Pentium III processors will be widely available from at least six top-tier PC manufacturers, kicking off what one could call Intel's blitzkrieg of the portable market. Diligent early adopters in the US could have even picked up HP's new 1GHz laptops, the Pavilion N6395 and the OmniBook 6000, as early as Sunday at retailers like Fry's Electronics and CompUSA.

Not to fall behind, AMD is pleased with the fact that they can ship their new mobile Athlon chip (Palomino) to laptop manufacturers, however the chipmaker is struggling with chipset and motherboard availability for their mobile Athlon. Intel already has plenty of chipset and motherboard support, putting them at an advantage, and giving them the ability to have1GHz-powered laptops available in stores by the time this article has found it's way into your browser.

With decreasing sales of desktop PCs, major PC makers are all hoping that this new Intel chip will help to perpetuate the current pace of the thriving mobile market to make up for losses in desktop sales. The mobile market is obsessed with cramming the fastest possible processor into the smallest possible package with the longest battery life. A faster MHz, lower voltage CPU is exactly what manufacturers have been pining for. Hence: the 1GHZ mobile Pentium III.