It's not easy forecasting what Intel's going to do.

Chipzilla's sheep-like bleating of not commenting on unannounced products makes it hard to get any sense out of the corporation when a juicy leak comes our way. Usually we can make a few calls, use our skill and judgement and come up with something pretty close to the truth.

Check out some of the links below (a small selection of the dozens of stories we've posted) and see how accurate our predictions have been over the last two years. The only time we came badly unstuck was when I bet Mike £5 that P4 would launch in August.

That one really hurt. ®

Willamette/P4 - the truth unfolds

1998
Intel maps out future of IA-32 with 1 Ghz CPU, Katmai and friends (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/745.html)
Intel in 1999: Mother Shipton beckons (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/1980.html)

1999

Willamette not teacher's pet (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/2522.html)
Willamette will outperform K7 by 2X (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/3780.html)
Hard facts emerge about Willamette (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/3982.html)
What's the bet on Willamette? (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/5596.html)
Intel 1100MHz 'Athlon killer' to launch in December? Hmm… (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/7354.html)
Willamette due 2H 2000 (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/7549.html)
Intel to demo 1GHz IA32 chip Feb 2000 (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/8042.html)

2000

Willamette it or won't it? (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/8836.html)
Willamette coming real soon now (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/8997.html)
Intel demos 1.5GHz Willamette (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/9241.html)
Intel's Garibaldi takes the Rambus biscuit (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/10194.html)
Willamette already sampling (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/10501.html)
Intel does U turn on Willamette and SDRAM (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/10957.html)
The three flavours of Willamette (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/11053.html)
Willamette to have triflngly-short shelf life (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/11230.html)
Pentium 4 in pictures (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/11678.html)
Return of the son of Willamette (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/11789.html)
Pentium 4 to use SDRAM (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/12171.html)
Pentium 4 to hit 2GHz next year (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/12518.html)
Pentium 4 launches a little late (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/13380.html)
Intel spin doctors have taken over the asylum (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/14299.html)
Intel 'going for AMD's balls' (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/14665.html)
Intel confirms P4 license talks (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/14759.html)

[That's enough links - Ed]