Actually, AMD did drop prices slightly before intel.
The x2
6000+ was quite the match for the e6600. Though for any tweaker, the e6600 still had the better performance as there was a lot of overclockability in the core.
For users adamant on running stock, amd did have that better value for a week
Intel probably didn't HAVE to match it performance/price, but in doing so, they just made it better for us
While I really doubt amd can pull off phenom before intel rolls out penryn (which has even better ipc AND clock than core 2) I'm really hoping it's competitive.
Any of you remember how "fast" processors were developing through years 2004-2006?