Dialog buys Atmel - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ralphd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 10:15:23 pm
content: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSKCN0RK0J420150920

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 10:24:21 pm
content: another one bites the dust ...

author: Quarlo Klobrigney
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 10:26:57 pm
content: Quote from: ralphd on September 20, 2015, 10:15:23 pm

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 10:51:57 pm
content: Who the F### is Dialog?Just looked at their product page, checked usual product names/marking style and I can safely say I haveneverseen a single chip of theirs, and Iv been servicing electronics for the last 15 years.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 11:07:22 pm
content: Quote from: Rasz on September 20, 2015, 10:51:57 pmWHOA. hole in your knowledge base. ...Dialog has been around for a loooong time. they are a large ASIC maker with very few standard products. They made a couple of audio processors (for PC motherboards AC97 compliant) and image processors in the late 90's early 2000. They have been dabbling in very specialised stuff like harddisk amplifiers and signal recovery for a long time. they do a lot of custom chips for things like lambda probes, knock sensors and automotive stuff.they have been making power management chips since before the word PMIC was coined.open any iPad and the main power controller is a dialog semiconductor. This devices has like 500 pins and contains 27 switching step down , 3 or 4 step-ups, the battery chargers , and like 30 LDO regulators. It is a beast !

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 11:25:01 pm
content: I certainly hope AVRs are here to stay. Otherwise I might have to learn PIC.

author: Quarlo Klobrigney
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 11:30:20 pm
content: How dare you make such utterances! Blasphemy. I will switch to ARM first.Quote from: Stonent on September 20, 2015, 11:25:01 pm

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2015, 11:45:11 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on September 20, 2015, 11:07:22 pmIm guessing it will be the same for every person not doing heavy corporate designQuote from: free_electron on September 20, 2015, 11:07:22 pmno wonder I never heard of them, kinda hard to know about a company that doenst leave its own name or even logo on partsQuote from: free_electron on September 20, 2015, 11:07:22 pmand you will see Apple marked custom chipswith only source of spares being trash binopen any macbook and you will see standard TI/SMC/Linear/Intersil power parts

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 12:00:42 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on September 20, 2015, 11:07:22 pmMy reaction was the same, who the hell is Dialog.After a few minutes thought, I do recall I have heard of them somewhere along the line, but I couldn't tell you what to save my life.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 12:23:25 am
content: Like i said : they have very few standard parts. They really are an ASIC builder.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 12:36:58 am
content: Think they're drinking the IoT koolaid?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 12:38:16 am
content: Quote from: marshallh on September 21, 2015, 12:36:58 amThe FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is strong in this one.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 01:05:40 am
content: If someone can just fill me in, I don't have much detail on this and don't feel like investigating.What do they have that is worth owning?They don't seem to be very profitable and probably not well positioned for the future.Lucky they sold?

author: ralphd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 02:24:06 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 21, 2015, 12:00:42 amI first heard of them when I was workng in telecom in the 90's.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 02:54:41 am
content: Quote from: HackedFridgeMagnet on September 21, 2015, 01:05:40 amThey have a lot of stuff, but you'd have to look at an annual report or some other thing to determine where their bulk revenue is coming from.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:20:01 am
content: Quote from: marshallh on September 21, 2015, 12:36:58 amSounds like:QuoteThe latter part sounds like a more sensible business proposition. If Dialog is big into power and sensing but doesn't have a big MCU portfolio, then acquiring someone who does seems like a sensible move.

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:28:20 am
content: Dialog?Is that the same company which build Dialog CNC-control systems?I know the name Dialog only from control systems of very old Deckel CNC machines.Deckel (translated: lid) is a German company which had build milling machines.This and the company Maho is now a part of the company Gildemeister (translated: guild master)which is still building milling machines and Lathes called DMG.(Tey are now part of the japanese company called Mori Seiki)Funfact:Mori Seiki milling machines have build in GPS systems.When you move the machine or switch it off for a longer time, you have to get a unique one time valid code from the company, to be able to turn it on.Our good friends the US and A have found some mills from them in Nord Korea and want to prevent that the get more.Mori Seiki have to build in this GPS system in their control systems when they want to export theire machines.Positives side effect: Planned obsolescence. Mori Seiki can decide when its time for a new machine, not the owner.That system is absolute funny if you have to get the code during the golden week.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:32:13 am
content: From the NYT:QuoteGet ready for a massive wave of layoffs. I wonder if they plan to really whittle down Atmel's product line or shut down a fab.

author: andersm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 04:46:11 am
content: Quote from: ajb on September 21, 2015, 03:20:01 amThis line from the Reuters story is telling:QuoteIf smartphone makers are paying you enough that you can buy Atmel, you have to figure they're looking to replace you. The Reuters story also mentions that their first choice wasams, so it really sounds like they were buying whoever they could.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 12:49:26 pm
content: I really dont like this. The two company is completely differently managed, different markets, different customer base.Dialog doesnt talk to you unless you buy millions, they have cents a pop profit on it. When I'm buying from Atmel, ST, TI, NXP, AD, Linear I dont really care how much it costs, but I need a few to a few thousand thousand tomorrow, worst case in a few weeks. Also I need industrial grade not the customer one, not IoT rated, not iPad rated.If dialog buys Atmel, we can kiss goodbye to the small customers. Including the Arduino folks. They are quite important for a number of reasons.Look at this page:http://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/content/dialog-semiconductor-acquire-atmel-46-billionpage 1 contains the word synergy multiple times. The word, if a executive manager uses, should be executed immediately (pun intended).

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 01:11:35 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on September 21, 2015, 12:49:26 pmBut not important financially (to an MBA mind at least)

author: GNU_Ninja
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 01:24:26 pm
content: Seems like my decision to go with PIC for hobbyist use was a good oneI do quite like the Arduino stuff, it would be a crying shame if this buyout killed or damaged it

author: ralphd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 01:32:13 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on September 21, 2015, 03:32:13 amI think Atmel uses 3rd-party fabs for their MCUs now.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 01:34:20 pm
content: Funnily enough I just downloaded Microchip MPLAB 3.10 last night after I upgraded my TL866 to ICSP and salvaged a few PICs to have a play with.It's gotta be better than that abomination Atmel Studio 6.2

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 01:39:30 pm
content: Microchip must have been partying, drinking and table dancing since the news came out

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 02:52:06 pm
content: Quote from: Macbeth on September 21, 2015, 01:34:20 pmMaybe Atmel Studio 7 will be based on Visual Studio 2012/13/15? Yeah I'm a fanboy of Visual Studio 2012 and newer. I just love the ease of programming. I hate it when I have to work in Eclipse or Netbeans. Just not the same. Netbeans doesn't change your focus to the program you're debugging so if you start typing, it starts overwriting your code and not typing in your debug window. I filed that as a bug/feature request and they didn't seem to understand what the issue was with that.

author: neslekkim
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 02:55:56 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on September 21, 2015, 02:52:06 pmWould be awesome if Jetbrais Resharper c++ would work in that combo also..

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 02:57:25 pm
content: my gut says dialog is after the capsense and crypto. it would be great if they can offer PMICS that have integrated touchscreen controllers. and offer encrypted secure storage. they could manage spcialty tasks that do not require waking the main processor in phones and tablets. this would give them an advantage.i bet top dollar they will shoot any product line that does not 'augment' their core business. they may not kill of the cpu's but the really low end, non industry standard (read ARM based) crap may get the boot.

author: benSTmax
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:19:38 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on September 21, 2015, 02:57:25 pmThen, Microchip will have its chance to pick-up the low-end stuff from Atmel and Dave's tutorial on "PICKIT 4" would become true ...

author: andersm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:29:52 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on September 21, 2015, 02:57:25 pmThat doesn't really agree with the stated goal of diversifying their business, and the unstated goal of not being so dependent on smartphone makers. It only takes a generation or so for them to add the new functionality to their own controllers, and then you're back where you started minus $4.6 billion.I don't know if you can draw any conclusions from it, but Dialog's press release does mention both SAMs and AVRs:QuoteIn any case, I'm going to save the outrage until there's something real to be upset about.

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:32:09 pm
content: I use Atmel's Xmega range a lot and am used to them now. I have not felt the need to use anything else. The thought that the range may be at risk is not great news. Even if it is not true it generates a bit of unrest.I suppose I will just have to wait and see. I am sure most of the lines will be available for many years yet. They would not just stop selling the chips overnight.

author: benSTmax
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:35:57 pm
content: Quote from: andersm on September 21, 2015, 03:29:52 pmWhere do they specifically mention AVRs? I can see ARMs are mentioned (and the SAM product line uses ARM cores) but I cannot say the same for AVRs. The "high performance ICs" are not the AVRs. If Dialog really wanted to keep them, they would have mentioned the "AVR" together with the ARM.

author: ralphd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:41:57 pm
content: Quote from: benSTmax on September 21, 2015, 03:35:57 pmproprietary ... Microcontrollers

author: Harrkev
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:46:49 pm
content: I actually WORK for Atmel, Crypo division. I have never heard of Dialog before I opened my e-mail this morning.The rumors were flying, but I have heard more from Bloomberg than I have from up the corporate ladder.I reserve judgment on this until after some time has passed.I just hope that I keep my job. But I am hopeful.**EDIT** And before anybody asks, I have no idea about ANY strategy stuff. I have no insight whatsoever into the future of AVR. Personally, I like AVR so I hope it sticks around. I have used Atmel studio, and it is an OK, if you ignore the fact that the download is a lot larger than many OS installs.Time will tell.

author: JTR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 03:59:25 pm
content: Dialog, yeah I remember them. They once produced a D80 microprocessor and then a D8 encore spin-off. These days I have dero interest in them...

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 04:19:51 pm
content: Quote from: JTR on September 21, 2015, 03:59:25 pmnot confusing with Rabbit semiconductor ?

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 04:20:44 pm
content: Quote from: Harrkev on September 21, 2015, 03:46:49 pmHere's hoping for the best for you!They generally have to keep this stuff quiet due to insider trading rules, but it still sucks for everyone affected.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 04:37:42 pm
content: Well maybe Dialog starts an incentive to remove all lies (very optimistic specifications) from the Atmel datasheets so you can use Atmel devices in a design without taking a chance to run into problems.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 06:19:57 pm
content: Quote from: Harrkev on September 21, 2015, 03:46:49 pmI am sure hoping that I'll still be able to design their SHA204 into my products in the coming future. Just how much thought and care was put into how that device functions is incredible. I don't think there is any comparable device out there from anybody else, and it really is a lifesaver. Very good, cheap insurance.

author: Harrkev
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 06:38:19 pm
content: Quote from: marshallh on September 21, 2015, 06:19:57 pmI did not work on that one. I have only been here for a year and a half (formerly with Agilent/Keysight). But I am glad that you have found the efforts of my co-workers useful.

author: VingTor
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 07:10:08 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on September 21, 2015, 01:39:30 pmMicroship tried to buy Atmel back in 2009 I think it was, so I dont see why they would be partying. Atmel/Dialog just got a lot bigger. I think most of Atmel's MCU/MPU product lines will continue as is. About 70% of Atmels revenue is based on this, so it does not make sense for Dialog to exit this. Only time will tell.

author: Quarlo Klobrigney
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 09:12:01 pm
content: And then in short time, the words we all dread:ATxxxx EOL, Last time buy

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 10:25:04 pm
content: QuoteI dunno. Dialog is similar in size (valuation, revenue, profits) to Atmel. (Which is a bit weird.)

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 10:29:45 pm
content: There is a possibility that part of the reason to buy Atmel was a brand name recognition. Virtually nobody knows who Dialog is, but even 12 year old "makers" know Atmel (that thing on my Arduitiotino!!1).

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 11:21:29 pm
content: Quote from: Rasz on September 21, 2015, 10:29:45 pmAnd it will be really ironic if Dialog makes the Atmel name vanish as part of the Borgification process.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2015, 11:42:01 pm
content: I seriously doubt that when one company buys another similar sized company they throw half the business out of the window. They could sell the microcontroller and or memory business though so you guys (not me for sure!) could end up with MAtmelchip.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2015, 12:06:51 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on September 21, 2015, 11:42:01 pmYeah, businesses buy out competition to destroy them all the time, but in this case AVR is not competition. Look on the bright side - Maybe they can afford some decent developers to sort out Studio 7?

author: lgbeno
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2015, 01:08:06 am
content: My guess is that from a product perspective, nothing changes. You might see dialog parts pushed more to low volume customers. They have a very competitive BLE SoC. I think that they had 4 or 5 sales guys in the US. Getting Atmel will give them a yuge sales org.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2015, 03:34:46 pm
content: Quote from: Rasz on September 21, 2015, 10:29:45 pmWhen AlliedSignal purchased Honeywell a few years back, they adopted the Honeywell name in place of AlliedSignal because of better brand recognition. Maybe Dialog might do that?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlliedSignal

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2015, 10:16:24 pm
content: If for some reason it all goes badly for the inexpensive MCU part of the company (what do I know) I wish it would make the Genuino people decide to start fresh, forget the 328P and make the base Arduino something more like an Uno sized version of the Teensy 3.x with modern speeds, real USB support (HID, MIDI) and an actual DAC or two onboard.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2015, 05:12:12 am
content: Quote from: dentaku on September 22, 2015, 10:16:24 pmWell they could always move to an LPC1100. They are available in DIP.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2015, 05:28:48 am
content: my two cents says dialog is after atmels very succesfull touch systems. being able to integrate the touch system into the PMIC would be very profitable for them as they can shrink the device and boot one more part off the board. plus they can now do additional power savings as they know when a touch event happens.combine that with an ARM license ... and you can now shove intelligent controllers in the pmic , tack on crypto memory and certain tasks can be run in the pmic as opposed to the big iron cpu. things like authentication. no need to wake big cpu. no authentication ? big cpu stays asleep ... good luck hacking through that. the power manager simply provides no power to the cpu...

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2015, 10:26:44 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on September 21, 2015, 11:21:29 pmI'm hoping they might rename themselves Dimel or Atalog...or something completely different.Maybe we'll get a better logo too?

author: lgbeno
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2015, 11:18:27 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on September 23, 2015, 05:28:48 amThis is a good theory and plays into Apples latest strategy for screen power management in the iPhone 6s.In general though I bet it is a collection of reasons that the acquisition happened. At the end of the day they now have a business that is 3billion dollars in revenue. They have a huge variety of MCUs that are useful to sell, the crypto stuff as well as all of the products Dialog has. They also have a sales force in North America which has much more reach than previously.As for the name, its anyones guess.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

author: eas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 09:50:13 pm
content: Highly specialized parts (ie Dialog) + high volume commodity parts (Atmel) seems like a good combo to have if you operate your own fabs. One helps pay for upgrading fab, the other helps with spreading depreciation over a large volume.

author: lgbeno
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 09:51:48 pm
content: I believe Dialog is fabless, Atmel should be fabless or be working towards thatSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 12:50:01 am
content: Quote from: lgbeno on September 26, 2015, 09:51:48 pmI disagree to an extent. Yes, specialisation and splitting up companies into core businesses, etc should help with free market economics and all that, but there is a shitload of bureaucratic red tape involved in doing it to every granularity which is just a fucking PITA and ridiculously wasteful and expensive when you know that you could just ask Bob from the other side of a Chinese Wall to chuck a few of these into his production for you, or you vice versa do the same favour for him.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 02:26:20 am
content: If currently no-one knows who Dialog is they will probably throw 'that' name out the window and carry on as Atmel.Losing the Dialog name would have zero effect on their ASIC business, they will be stamping customers logos on their ASICs anyway.

author: lgbeno
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 03:25:01 am
content: I don't think that there is any harm in keeping both names. I don't want to see Atmel stamped on a PMIC, or dialog on an AVR.Dialog does brand a lot of their ICs in the cell phones including the iPhone.Regarding fab vs fabless. Nothing drives efficiency like a P&L relationship between design and Foundry. Bob is wayy more motivated to make your chip when $500k is on the line.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 04:21:11 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on September 21, 2015, 11:42:01 pmYou may be right that it doesn't seem to make sense, but it happens all the time. There is a school of thought that a company doesn't have a portfolio of products, instead, what it has is a portfolio of customers.If the wanted 1/2 (of the business) can operate without added fix cost (to the acquirer's original fix cost), and can operate with small enough variable cost - the numbers can indeed work out. Basically, the acquirer added a few product line for their existing customer, and acquired a whole bunch of new customers, and (figuratively speaking) just need the existing sales folks (core+new-x) to carry a few more brochures and make a few more stops.Of course, ideally, x=new so the end result is just the existing sales folks (core) would do. Actually, the sales folks are the ones they most likely keep - since the existing relationships needs to be kept at least for a while. It is the x in the lab, in the production floor, in the accounting office... in those categories, the ideal value of x is the number of acquired employees in that area so (core+new-x)=core.The other 1/2 of the business they will try to convert, or they can be re-sold if profitable to do so. If they start to make a line of business more independent, that is a good indicator that line of business may be sold.That brings us to Dave's pointwhich I agree.Quote from: EEVblog on September 21, 2015, 01:11:35 pmSo, the key of the future would be "What is it that the MBA's (particularly younger) see?"* I amended it with "younger ones". Younger ones are less exposed to real-world experience thus more driven by raw numbers on a spreadsheet.I suspect even within Amtel and years before this acquisition was dreamed, the "Arduino folks" category was long ago dropped off into "residual value" area of the spreadsheet. Residual value (or whatever Amtel's company lingo calls it) is when no real new development investment is made, but just production related investment for as long as the product line(s) are profitable. Most likely, this "Arduino folks" products is also the group under the most sever price pressure so there is not a lot of money to be made.I suppose none of us not sitting at the table has the real answer now, but we will all know 3-6 month after the acquisition and then we can scream, or not.

author: lgbeno
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 04:36:33 am
content: Read any interview with Sander Arts and you'll find that Arduino is in fact one of Atmel's favorite assets. As long as they keep him, I don't think things are changing.Also I disagree with the sentiment of younger professionals, even those with MBAs. Younger people are infinitely more capable of spotting emerging treads and being optimistic about future potential value.Now if a product line was losing money with no growth in sight, that's a completely different story. Depending on investors or pressure from the street, they would also need to make sure that they are meeting margin expectations.Killing products ruins customer relationships and the semiconductor industry is very competitive, you can't just acquire customers then not treat them right then they would be gone.We'll see what happens in the next 6 months, my guess is nothing too extreme.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 11:01:33 am
content: and we have a first Dialog part (SmartBond DA1458x) rebadged to Atmel:http://blog.atmel.com/2015/09/23/the-smallest-lowest-power-bluetooth-smart-solution-has-arrived/no price on the chips, dev board announced at $25, but listed at $27.34 ?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 11:03:52 am
content: You are joking, right? The acquisition has not completed yet and won't be until the end of the year at least.This part is from NMI, bought by Atmel last year.

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 11:27:15 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on September 27, 2015, 11:03:52 amin that case it makes zero sense, this part is directly competing with Dialogs SmartBond line, wonder which one will the kill

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 11:29:44 am
content: Before the acquisition is completed both companies must operate as independent companies. So at least for 3-6 month you can forget about any news about this.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 01:01:17 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on September 27, 2015, 04:21:11 amThey should think of it as the best advertisement ever. They can reach thousands and thousands of students, hobbyist, hackers and put their name into their mind. It is absolutely the biggest ad campaign a company can dream of, and they even make money on it.Similar way, Microchip is big with hobbyist, who are started using their analog and power supply ICs. Would you ever use a Microchip LDO? No, it is stupid, just use a TI, or ST one, it is cheaper better. But they use the PIC, so they use the LDO.The company will never have any clue why this is happening. I see this often, companies have no idea how people perceive them, what we think about them. Even the sales people, not just the engineers.Numbers are not telling the whole story.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 01:07:26 pm
content: I switched to Atmel AVR for two reasons, finding a stupid silicone bug in a pic which is mad and the arduino. C can be very daunting and so can having to set up a micro. If you are learning to progam in C so that you can program a uC you have the double wammy of learning the uC intimately. With the arduino you start with learning C and then later you can move to your own C program knowing that is you still use a ATMega328 and respect some pinouts you can fall back onto the arduino system if you need it or you can launch into independance, and voila, you are hooked on AVR. it's a superb marketing strategy. along with the fact that you get slightly faster program execution. I can't see them ditching AVR unless they want to abandon making uC's

author: Karel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 01:39:37 pm
content: The only reason I hope Atmel will stay alive is to keep some competition with Microchip.Apart from that, I don't care about Atmel. We used it in the past but when we asked for Linux support they ignored us.Now we are happily using Microschip and Atmel lost a customer. I know we are not big enough for Atmel to care about loosing us.But we don't care about Atmel either. Byebye Atmel...

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 06:49:21 pm
content: Quote from: lgbeno on September 27, 2015, 04:36:33 amre:"Read any interview with Sander Arts and you'll find that Arduino is in fact one of Atmel's favorite assets.""Most favorite assets" is not the same as saying "most valuable assets". The CEO can have their pet projects or pet products, but that only go so far. When financial pressure mounts, "most valuable" trumps "most favorite".re:"Also I disagree with the sentiment of younger professionals, even those with MBAs. Younger people are infinitely more capable of spotting emerging treads and being optimistic about future potential value."While I agree that younger people lacking biases developed over time may spot newer trends more readily, but I think you inferred the wrong thing from what I stated. What I stated was "Younger ones are less exposed to real-world experience thus more driven by raw numbers". This doesn't have anything to do with potential value of emerging trends as raw numbers can include "projected sales." This has more to do with "vested interest", "emotional attachment", and other abstract factors such as "existing relationships between users and sellers," competition landscape, etc. Many of the stuff comes from the experience of living in that world for N years.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 06:59:33 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on September 27, 2015, 01:01:17 pmre: "They should think of it as the best advertisement ever. They can reach thousands and thousands of students, hobbyist, hackers..."Perhaps... Steve Jobs continued to push Apple in the schools for a long while and much of the entertainment industry remain loyal to Apple stuff for a long time.re: "Numbers are not telling the whole story."My earlier reply stated it so as well - evident by my pointing out that younger MBA may not be as well disposed in understanding the abstracts and may rely more on raw numbers. That said, while numbers may not be telling the whole story, but numbers will dictate how the story ends. As one who learns the name "Amtel" merely because of Arduino, I sure would like the story ends in a way favorable to the Amtel MCU's, but I suspect the numbers may not be my ally.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2015, 07:05:56 pm
content: Quote from: Karel on September 27, 2015, 01:39:37 pmThat might make more sense if Atmel was Microchip's main competitor.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2015, 06:23:23 am
content: Quote from: Karel on September 27, 2015, 01:39:37 pmbe happy with your linux and the substandard archaic Fmips = Fosc / 4 pic chips... i wish i still can have buy attiny10 from the market... at the same footprint/competitor there is pic10f206, got nothing just an basic IO, 1MHz cpu. attiny got PWM, comparator adc IO etc, 8MHz cpu... YMMV...