Not sure how I missed this one for two months. I see there is already some serious contention with Atmel employees. http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329412 I wonder what it will be like for the sales force to be selling PICs, AVRs and ARMs all into much of the same market space? I wonder if the PIC32 will finally bite the dust with ARMs all around it crowding it out of the market? Or maybe the dsPIC will go away? -- Rick C
Atmel Bought by Microchip
Started by ●June 28, 2016
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
rickman wrote:> Not sure how I missed this one for two months. I see there is already > some serious contention with Atmel employees. > > http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329412 > > I wonder what it will be like for the sales force to be selling PICs, > AVRs and ARMs all into much of the same market space?I think you're at the wrong end of the telescope. This is pretty clearly a consolidation in a falling market. Microchip doesn't appear to be able to conform to severance agreements.> I wonder if the > PIC32 will finally bite the dust with ARMs all around it crowding it out > of the market?I've never held that ARM was much in the same space as PIC32. At least the tooling is pretty radically different. And I can't say I'm too sad if AVR just goes away. The problem is that I don't have any direct exposure to the tiny ARM offerings, mainly because the peripheral mix chosen on projects I worked on fit PIC32 or PIC24 better. Really, when we're saying ARM these days, it more means something big enough to build a cell phone on.> Or maybe the dsPIC will go away? >-- Les Cargill
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On 2016-06-29, Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> wrote:> Really, when we're saying ARM these days, it more means something > big enough to build a cell phone on.Maybe that's what it means when you say it. The last ARM project I did was a 16-pin part with 8KB of ROM and 2KB of RAM. -- Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards Yow! You were s'posed at to laugh! gmail.com
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
Grant Edwards wrote:> On 2016-06-29, Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> wrote: > >> Really, when we're saying ARM these days, it more means something >> big enough to build a cell phone on. > > Maybe that's what it means when you say it. The last ARM project I > did was a 16-pin part with 8KB of ROM and 2KB of RAM. >And then there's that :) -- Les Cargill
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On 06/29/2016 12:24 PM, Les Cargill wrote:> rickman wrote: >> Not sure how I missed this one for two months. I see there is already >> some serious contention with Atmel employees. >> >> http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329412 >> >> I wonder what it will be like for the sales force to be selling PICs, >> AVRs and ARMs all into much of the same market space? > > I think you're at the wrong end of the telescope. This is pretty clearly > a consolidation in a falling market. Microchip doesn't appear to be > able to conform to severance agreements. > >> I wonder if the >> PIC32 will finally bite the dust with ARMs all around it crowding it out >> of the market? > > I've never held that ARM was much in the same space as PIC32. At least > the tooling is pretty radically different. And I can't say I'm too sad > if AVR just goes away.It would be a pity for the Arduino folks.> > The problem is that I don't have any direct exposure to the tiny ARM > offerings, mainly because the peripheral mix chosen on projects I > worked on fit PIC32 or PIC24 better.Some Cortex M0s are under half a buck at distributor prices, which is a lot cheaper than an ATmega.> > Really, when we're saying ARM these days, it more means something > big enough to build a cell phone on.Well, you don't know how the other half lives. ;)> >> Or maybe the dsPIC will go away? >> >Cheers Phil Hobbs -- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 160 North State Road #203 Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 hobbs at electrooptical dot net http://electrooptical.net
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On 06/29/2016 12:46 PM, Phil Hobbs wrote:> On 06/29/2016 12:24 PM, Les Cargill wrote: >> rickman wrote: >>> Not sure how I missed this one for two months. I see there is already >>> some serious contention with Atmel employees. >>> >>> http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329412 >>> >>> I wonder what it will be like for the sales force to be selling PICs, >>> AVRs and ARMs all into much of the same market space? >> >> I think you're at the wrong end of the telescope. This is pretty clearly >> a consolidation in a falling market. Microchip doesn't appear to be >> able to conform to severance agreements. >> >>> I wonder if the >>> PIC32 will finally bite the dust with ARMs all around it crowding it out >>> of the market? >> >> I've never held that ARM was much in the same space as PIC32. At least >> the tooling is pretty radically different. And I can't say I'm too sad >> if AVR just goes away. > > It would be a pity for the Arduino folks.It definitely would. Maybe I'm biased, but after working with AVRs for several years IMO at the 8 bit low end the AVR optimized-for-C architecture, plus a free high-quality compiler with full optimizations for every device, is the clear winner over the old-ass PICs. Only turbonerds hand write ASM for any real shit these days.
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On 6/29/2016 12:24 PM, Les Cargill wrote:> rickman wrote: >> Not sure how I missed this one for two months. I see there is already >> some serious contention with Atmel employees. >> >> http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329412 >> >> I wonder what it will be like for the sales force to be selling PICs, >> AVRs and ARMs all into much of the same market space? > > I think you're at the wrong end of the telescope. This is pretty clearly > a consolidation in a falling market. Microchip doesn't appear to be > able to conform to severance agreements. > >> I wonder if the >> PIC32 will finally bite the dust with ARMs all around it crowding it out >> of the market? > > I've never held that ARM was much in the same space as PIC32. At least > the tooling is pretty radically different. And I can't say I'm too sad > if AVR just goes away.Why would you say the ARMs aren't "in the same space as PIC32"? They are both available at about the same performance levels, both come with a range of memory and peripherals. I think the main difference is there is one company making PIC32s while there are dozens making ARM devices for the same applications. -- Rick C
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On 2016-06-29, bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:> [...] is the clear winner over the old-ass PICs.But then again, a few twigs and a bit of string is a clear winner over old-ass PICs. -- Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards Yow! It's some people at inside the wall! This is gmail.com better than mopping!
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On Wed, 29 Jun 2016 11:24:50 -0500, Les Cargill wrote:> > The problem is that I don't have any direct exposure to the tiny ARM > offerings, mainly because the peripheral mix chosen on projects I worked > on fit PIC32 or PIC24 better. > > Really, when we're saying ARM these days, it more means something big > enough to build a cell phone on.I disagree. The ARM A-core is for cell-phone sized stuff (and possibly desktop). But the Cortex M-cores show up in some pretty small processors. Anything that can be had for under a buck in quantity isn't a "big processor". -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com I'm looking for work -- see my website!
Reply by ●June 29, 20162016-06-29
On 6/29/2016 9:59 AM, bitrex wrote:> On 06/29/2016 12:46 PM, Phil Hobbs wrote: >> On 06/29/2016 12:24 PM, Les Cargill wrote: >>> rickman wrote: >>>> Not sure how I missed this one for two months. I see there is already >>>> some serious contention with Atmel employees. >>>> >>>> http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329412 >>>> >>>> I wonder what it will be like for the sales force to be selling PICs, >>>> AVRs and ARMs all into much of the same market space? >>> >>> I think you're at the wrong end of the telescope. This is pretty clearly >>> a consolidation in a falling market. Microchip doesn't appear to be >>> able to conform to severance agreements. >>> >>>> I wonder if the >>>> PIC32 will finally bite the dust with ARMs all around it crowding it >>>> out >>>> of the market? >>> >>> I've never held that ARM was much in the same space as PIC32. At least >>> the tooling is pretty radically different. And I can't say I'm too sad >>> if AVR just goes away. >> >> It would be a pity for the Arduino folks. > > It definitely would. Maybe I'm biased, but after working with AVRs for > several years IMO at the 8 bit low end the AVR optimized-for-C > architecture, plus a free high-quality compiler with full optimizations > for every device, is the clear winner over the old-ass PICs. > > Only turbonerds hand write ASM for any real shit these days.There are plenty of Arduino-compatible boards with non-AVR chips. Microchip makes one. Plus there is one with an Atmel Cortex M0, SAMD21, the Arduino Zero <https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardZero>. I think that Arduino will gradually move away from the AVR line, but it is a very profitable product line and Atmel would not discontinue it. After all, you can buy a Cortex M? from a bunch of companies, but an AVR user might not want to convert to ARM. My former colleague is a "Wizard of Make" and senior manager at Atmel and runs around the world promoting Arduino. I hope he's safe.
