Motherboards

Intel is the winner for the second year running. Kobian (Mercury) comes in at a distant second, with a Users' Choice index of just 10 percent, barely making the grade. Last year's runner up, Asus, falls from grace, getting just nine percent of the votes. None of the other players came anywhere in the reckoning.

In brand loyalty, Intel scored a very high 91 percent, followed by 69 percent for Asus. The Asus loyalty figure may not mean much as the brand has only a very low number of respondents rooting for it in the first place. Gigabyte, which also does not figure in the Users' Choice Club, is the only other brand that managed any significant level of brand loyalty. 

Let us take Kobian first. Kobian seems to be in a bit of a spot in the motherboard market. While it has improved its comparative position marginally from last year, its share of votes has gone in the reverse direction. A very low loyalty percentage of just 39 percent will only add to its woes. An equal percentage of current Kobian users want to shift to Intel! 



Intel, on the other hand, is sitting pretty with at least a third of all other brand owners wanting to shift to that brand. Intel's biggest gains could come from the smaller players, Kobian and Gigabyte, in that order. Intel's losses to other brands are also very minimal, coming under just 10 percent of current owners.

About a third of Asus owners also want to move to Intel. On the other hand, Asus stands to gain from Kobian. While the data for Gigabyte is not enough to provide for significant analysis, it also follows the general pattern, lose a lot to Intel, gain a little from

Kobian. 

So, overall, the motherboard market seems headed to become a one-horse race with Intel becoming the only brand worth reckoning. And the player to lose the most, if the current user preferences play out, will be Kobian. Unlike in the past, we did not ask the respondents about the reasons for their brand choices. So, we do not know what exactly is the cause of the mass exodus from Kobian. What ever it is, it would be worth Kobian's while to investigate and rectify it as soon as possible.

Asus, on the other hand, has played the higher end of the market. Playing that game will ensure their niche, but as the market grows.