While researching something else, I ran into the 
following rather interesting opinions:

Consolidating the MCU market around the ARM architecture
("It's inevitable. ARM's Cortex-M3 processor core is going 
dominate the MCU market.")
http://www.embedded.com/columns/guest/207001013

Luminary Micro Announces 32-bit Microcontrollers for $1.00
-- First to Launch Products Based on the ARM Cortex M3 Processor
http://www.design-reuse.com/news/12919/luminary-micro-32-bit-microcontrollers-1-00-launch-products-arm-cortex-m3-process
or.html
www/story/03-27-2006/0004327081&EDATE" target=_blank rel="nofollow">http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-27-2006/0004327081&EDATE=

Rich feature set key in MCU market:
http://www.ciol.com/Semicon/Design-Trends/News-Reports/Rich-feature-set-key-in-MCU-market/10708107822/0/

$1.68 per chip QTY 100:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlUH%2fsxfAjgajA%3d%3d
http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/lm3s101.html

$249.00 Development Kit:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlWcf9eiWJhtdw%3d%3d
http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/development_kits.html

$79.00 Daughter board:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlX7a0oGmOj3vA%3d%3d
http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/expansion_daughterboards.html








-- 
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;

Is this even news at this point???  Some two or three years ago I
pointed out that the ARM chips were getting cheaper and cheaper (at
that time around $2) commenting that there is getting to be no market
for the common 8 bit CPU.  There were a couple who pointed out that
there are huge numbers of 8 bit devices used in the "invisible", mass
applications where even $0.01 makes a difference. Of course those apps
will always use 4 or 8 bit processors.

But the trend has been pretty obvious for some time now.  Mostly it
has been reported that the 16 bit parts are being skipped over
migrating from 8 directly to 32 bit.  I have also seen predictions
that the 8 bit market will level off and start to decline although
keeping huge numbers.

For designs that don't need to save every last penny, it really has
gotten to the point that the 8 and 16 bit parts have little need.
Maybe if power is the ultimate requirement a 32 bit part can't keep up
with an 8 bit part, but even there the newer processes that are being
used mostly with 32 bit parts are making them competitive in the
lowest power apps too.

Rick


On Jul 21, 3:10 pm, Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; wrote:
> While researching something else, I ran into the
> following rather interesting opinions:
>
> Consolidating the MCU market around the ARM architecture
> ("It's inevitable. ARM's Cortex-M3 processor core is going
> dominate the MCU market.")http://www.embedded.com/columns/guest/207001013
>
> Luminary Micro Announces 32-bit Microcontrollers for $1.00
> -- First to Launch Products Based on the ARM Cortex M3
Processorhttp://www.design-reuse.com/news/12919/luminary-micro-32-bit-microcon...http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stori
es.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/stor...
>
> Rich feature set key in MCU market:http://www.ciol.com/Semicon/Design-Trends/News-Reports/Rich-feature-s...
>
> $1.68 per chip QTY
100:http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlUH%2fsxf...http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/lm3s10
1.html
>
> $249.00 Development
Kit:http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlWcf9eiWJ...http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/develo
pment_kits.html
>
> $79.00 Daughter
board:http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlX7a0oGmO...http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/expa
nsion_daughterboards.html
>
> --
> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;
> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;
> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;
> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>; Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>;

Guy Macon wrote:
> While researching something else, I ran into the 
> following rather interesting opinions:

> Consolidating the MCU market around the ARM architecture
> ("It's inevitable. ARM's Cortex-M3 processor core is going 
> dominate the MCU market.")
<snip a Luminary party political broadcast>

No sales numbers on their $1 device, which was rather a strange animal.
Did anyone actually design that in ?

Other things you may have missed :
** Microchip did NOT choose the M3, instead went for the MIPS core

** Atmel offers ARM7, ARM9, AVR32, (and has also licensed M3)

** Freescale have chosen to also pitch 'peripheral compatible'
    8 bit and 32 bit Coldfire variants. They see that the core does
    not actually matter that much anymore.....

** ST and Freescale do NOT pitch the M3 into Automotive
    - instead they _have_ recently released a SECOND SOURCED
    family, based on the PowerPC core.

Can you name any pin & peripheral compatible, second sourced M3
device ?

** Japanese suppliers, who are big in the 32 bit sector, tend to
chose ARM only for ASIC

** Philips is calling their M3 family the LPC1000, suggests they expect 
the LPC2000 (ARM7) and LPC3000 (ARM9) to continue

** ARM9 devices are rolling now in large FLASH cores, faster than
any M3 device.

Conclusion: Yes the M3 is significant, but it is a
_very_ long way from dominating the MCU market, it is not even
close to dominating the 32bit MCU market.

Of course, any such claim from Luminary's Chief Marketing Officer,
is expected to be mostly marketdroid hyperbole :)

-jg

rickman <g...@gmail.com> writes:

> Is this even news at this point???  Some two or three years ago I
> pointed out that the ARM chips were getting cheaper and cheaper (at
> that time around $2) commenting that there is getting to be no market
> for the common 8 bit CPU.  There were a couple who pointed out that
> there are huge numbers of 8 bit devices used in the "invisible", mass
> applications where even $0.01 makes a difference. Of course those apps
> will always use 4 or 8 bit processors.
>
> But the trend has been pretty obvious for some time now.  Mostly it
> has been reported that the 16 bit parts are being skipped over
> migrating from 8 directly to 32 bit.  I have also seen predictions
> that the 8 bit market will level off and start to decline although
> keeping huge numbers.
>
> For designs that don't need to save every last penny, it really has
> gotten to the point that the 8 and 16 bit parts have little need.
> Maybe if power is the ultimate requirement a 32 bit part can't keep up
> with an 8 bit part, but even there the newer processes that are being
> used mostly with 32 bit parts are making them competitive in the
> lowest power apps too.
>

[...]

I suspect some devious google-ranking scheme :)


-- 

John Devereux

Guy Macon wrote:
> While researching something else, I ran into the 
> following rather interesting opinions:
> 
> Consolidating the MCU market around the ARM architecture
> ("It's inevitable. ARM's Cortex-M3 processor core is going 
> dominate the MCU market.")
> http://www.embedded.com/columns/guest/207001013
> 
> Luminary Micro Announces 32-bit Microcontrollers for $1.00
> -- First to Launch Products Based on the ARM Cortex M3 Processor
>
http://www.design-reuse.com/news/12919/luminary-micro-32-bit-microcontrollers-1-00-launch-products-arm-cortex-m3-process
or.html
> www/story/03-27-2006/0004327081&EDATE" target=_blank rel="nofollow">http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-27-2006/0004327081&EDATE=
> 
> Rich feature set key in MCU market:
> http://www.ciol.com/Semicon/Design-Trends/News-Reports/Rich-feature-set-key-in-MCU-market/10708107822/0/
> 
> $1.68 per chip QTY 100:
> http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlUH%2fsxfAjgajA%3d%3d
> http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/lm3s101.html
> 
> $249.00 Development Kit:
> http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlWcf9eiWJhtdw%3d%3d
> http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/development_kits.html
> 
> $79.00 Daughter board:
> http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6ARB0lp6jlX7a0oGmOj3vA%3d%3d
> http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/expansion_daughterboards.html
> 

Log in just to get a datasheet? Yeah, right ...

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

"Joerg" <n...@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message 
news:hm6hk.14945$x...@nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com...
> Log in just to get a datasheet? Yeah, right ...

Those marketing guys only want to have a deep, personal, meaningful 
relationship with you, Joerg, that will surely be mutually beneficial. :-)

In comp.arch Joerg <n...@removethispacbell.net> wrote:
(Luminary Micro's website)
> Log in just to get a datasheet? Yeah, right ...

If you just keep clicking on "I really really don't want to register,
just shut up already" you'll get a download link without having to
register. Annoying, but far preferable to those sites that actually do
force you to register (I'm looking at you, ARM.)

-a

A...@kapsi.spam.stop.fi.invalid wrote:
> In comp.arch Joerg <n...@removethispacbell.net> wrote:
> (Luminary Micro's website)
>> Log in just to get a datasheet? Yeah, right ...
> 
> If you just keep clicking on "I really really don't want to register,
> just shut up already" you'll get a download link without having to
> register. Annoying, but far preferable to those sites that actually do
> force you to register (I'm looking at you, ARM.)
> 

Well, that might be, but I prefer manufacturers with a tad more 
professionalism. TI, Atmel, Microchip, Hitachi and so on.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

A...@kapsi.spam.stop.fi.invalid wrote:
> In comp.arch Joerg <n...@removethispacbell.net> wrote:
> (Luminary Micro's website)
>> Log in just to get a datasheet? Yeah, right ...
> 
> If you just keep clicking on "I really really don't want to register,
> just shut up already" you'll get a download link without having to
> register. Annoying, but far preferable to those sites that actually do
> force you to register (I'm looking at you, ARM.)

Which is far preferable to the ones that
make you register then promise to email
you the datasheet and never do. (I'm looking
at you, NXP)

Jim Stewart wrote:
> A...@kapsi.spam.stop.fi.invalid wrote:
> 
>> In comp.arch Joerg <n...@removethispacbell.net> wrote:
>> (Luminary Micro's website)
>>
>>> Log in just to get a datasheet? Yeah, right ...
>>
>>
>> If you just keep clicking on "I really really don't want to register,
>> just shut up already" you'll get a download link without having to
>> register. Annoying, but far preferable to those sites that actually do
>> force you to register (I'm looking at you, ARM.)
> 
> 
> Which is far preferable to the ones that
> make you register then promise to email
> you the datasheet and never do. (I'm looking
> at you, NXP)

  Which part of NXP does that ?
  I can download any PDF just fine - PDF access at NXP is good,
it is the middle-ground, between the overview and detail, that
NXP needs to work on!

I did find they have a nice uC selector as 'clickable pdf', that I 
suggested they make more visible, and it is now at:

http://www.nxp.com/acrobat/literature/9397/75016140.pdf

With that, you can sidestep almost the entire web site ;)

-jg