Then again, Intel's pricing plans could be designed to keep antitrust regulators at bay. AMD and Intel are playing a high-stakes game of whodunit in courtrooms and government agencies around the world, and Intel would be silly to give its prosecutors fresh ammunition today. Yes, price changes are an everyday tool for every business. That's not important; it's the perception of strong-arming the competition that Intel needs to avoid.

Or it could be natural market forces at work.