Fate of embedded PCs: at Intel's mercy?(Intel and the life cycle of processors for embedded systems)(Company Business and Marketing)

EDN, November, 1999 by Levy, Markus

END OF LIFE (EOL) IS SERIOUS business in some segments of the embedded market. For example, for embedded PCs, some board vendors and their customers have come to expect a minimum of five years from a product as a whole, as well as the processor and other components on the board. This expectation is reasonable, considering the lengthy qualification and testing cycles of these products that customers endure. On the other hand, when an embedded-PC vendor and its customers ride the coattails of desktop- and mobile-PC vendors, there are trade-offs to consider.

The PC road map allows great pricing, but you must be prepared to follow the wave. And this caution doesn't just apply to the processors. Chip sets can change every few months, and you may have a new BIOS...

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