Intel wants to limit the competition and is dragging AMD to court to make them stop producing x86-based processors. Patents are ridiculous and a ball and chain on innovation, specifically so in the hands of lawyers, and this is just more proof. For the consumers this is a loose-loose situation. Regardless who wins they will be without competition and CPU development will stagnate just like soundcard development did after creative screwed that market over. 

Are 12 cores @4GHz the best we will ever see?