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Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

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Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#501

Post by mschuster91 »

kiba wrote: post #433
serbuvlad wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While that is true, both Espressif and the Pico have their own SDKs, and they're really well written too. The Arduino SDK is the simplest to use, sure, but the Pico framework (I don't have experience with the Espressif one) is extremely good, and the Pico's PIO is a godsend. I used it to implement 3 wire SPI (data bidirectional on the same wire) at almost 'real-time', which is to say, at half the speed of the hardwar…

Branding power. Precisely why brand drugs continue to make money over fist for pharmaceutical companies even after patents expire.

> Precisely why brand drugs continue to make money over fist for pharmaceutical companies even after patents expire.

Generics may have the same active ingredient but (vastly) different pharmacokinetics - i.e. different absorption rates/retention in the body. For basic stuff such as painkillers that's one thing, but for more sensitive medication such as insulin, antidepressants or anything related to the cardiovascular system (heart rate, blood pressure and clotting) one has to be very careful when switching between brands.

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#502

Post by korhojoa »

schappim wrote: post #356
geerlingguy wrote: post #3

Additionally, they're launching their first joint product, the $44 Uno Q SBC, which has a Dragonwing SoC and STM32 microcontroller on an Uno form factor board[1]. It seems like Arduino will keep their brand, maintain their existing product lines, and continue building devices using other vendor's chips (besides Qualcomm), etc... but as with all acquisitions—I wonder how long that state of affairs will last. Alternati…

This reminds me of the Arduino Intel Galileo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Galileo

This was cool but the software support from intel was terrible.

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#503

Post by mschuster91 »

webdevver wrote: post #10
murillians wrote: post #5

I only feel dread when I see a Qualcomm story on HN anymore.

genuinely, what is the survival story for qualcomm entering the next decade? - completely missed out on AI - phones become commodity, push for complete vertical integration from apple, google - squeezed by chinese soc vendors from 'below' (mediatek, unisoc) they're cooked, right? there's no way out, surely.

Qualcomm still are the only relevant ones in town who actually sell high performance ARM designs to third parties and have no political quarrels attached, there's a lot of money to be made in that game.

As you said there is competition from Mediatek, but who knows how long Mediatek has before the US government sanctions them to hell and beyond. Apple doesn't sell to third parties (no matter how much one might dream) and so does Google. Samsung I haven't ever seen used outside of their own phones and TVs.

The remainder is NVidia's Tegra lineup but other than automotive and the Nintendo Switch I haven't seen these in third party products either, I doubt they'll even take your calls if you are not coming in with millions of units sold of demand.

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#504

Post by numpad0 »

geerlingguy wrote: post #260
ACCount37 wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I checked: there are board schematics for Uno Q there - but no datasheets or SDK or manuals or any documentation whatsoever for the QRB2210 SoC itself. Yep, it's Qualcomm alright.

Take it with a grain of salt, but the rep I've been in contact with said they'd be releasing more on the SoC...

Wait, does that mean QXDM/QPST on Western Internet without complimentary malware?

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#505

Post by Gud »

quitit wrote: post #274
xphos wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the AI bit is overblown. Why does every large company have to do everything in technology, AI is horribly over valued in the market right now. The other issues are much more important as those are threats to Qcom's current profit method mostly MediaTek squeezing the lower tier market. It's unclear if Qcoms going to be able to dominate upper tier where they own like 60% of market share if they don't also compe…

The honest answer is that they see AI interaction as being the next human to computer interface, one that will function much in the way that super-apps do today, with the benefit of accelerating the purchasing pathway. In a way this mirrors how people opt for using apps even though a web version exists, because the apps are generally more performant. I'd argue that ChatGPT is already there. The instant check out feat…

Why would I want any of this?

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#506

Post by jeremyjh »

noobermin wrote: post #468
pclmulqdq wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you have a good income stream but you want more money now? Arduino is a lifestyle business (a good lifestyle, don't get me wrong) much more than a growth business. It's easy to price what the income stream is worth.

I don't know if you realise it or not but the point you're making is self-contradictory. If they make great margins, that's why qualcomm would want to buy them, but not why they'd want to sell and have to share it. I guess it makes sense if you're saying arduino are suckers

They did say:

> you want more money now

But honestly, on HN, no one should have to explain why founders seek exits.

Just like any other founder, if the vast majority of their net worth is tied up in the company, they'd like to have an exit to take some chips off the table and diversify their investments.

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#507

Post by slightwinder »

MountDoom wrote: post #200

The problem is that there just isn't a whole lot of money to be made in providing hobby hardware for enthusiasts. Every time a big player gets involved, they think they can change this. A decade ago, Intel tried that back in the day with Galileo / Edison, and tellingly, they came up with the same "ideas": IoT / AI. If you're doing cheap IoT trinkets, you're never going to pay extra for a brand. You're going to buy th…

> And if you're doing serious AI, you basically go for a real computer with real computing power, and in that segment, the Arduino brand means nothing.

What about cheap AI for toys and gadgets? Maybe the next Furby or some smart Toaster could run on their chips. AI is spreading, moving into casual corners outside of hobbyists and high professionals, maybe they aim to get a foothold there?

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#508

Post by extraduder_ire »

jacquesm wrote: post #491
pclmulqdq wrote: post #386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People are making so much of this when it seems so much simpler. Qualcomm likes buying high-margin businesses, and Arduino is a high-margin business. Gross margin on their boards is over 90% (hence why you can buy a Chinese clone of a $30 board for $3) and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. The TI equivalent of the $30 Arduino Uno is $5, and it's a true gateway product.

The Raspberry Pi Pico blows the Arduino out of the water in terms of computational speed, available RAM and so on, and it costs a fraction. I don't remember using an Arduino since the Pi Pico came out. And if the Pico isn't enough there are the bigger family members waiting in the wings. For me Arduino is mostly over. And then there is Espressif as well, they make some neat boards.

Do you mean the Uno specifically? There are a lot of Arduino boards with varying capabilities.

Re: Qualcomm to acquire Arduino

#510

Post by jacquesm »

extraduder_ire wrote: post #508
jacquesm wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Raspberry Pi Pico blows the Arduino out of the water in terms of computational speed, available RAM and so on, and it costs a fraction. I don't remember using an Arduino since the Pi Pico came out. And if the Pico isn't enough there are the bigger family members waiting in the wings. For me Arduino is mostly over. And then there is Espressif as well, they make some neat boards.

Do you mean the Uno specifically? There are a lot of Arduino boards with varying capabilities.

For everything Arduino offers that I've ever used I know of a cheaper board with better specs.
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