Lattice's Online Store Now Sells Silicon - No Minimum Order Quantity

rickman wrote:

> On Jun 12, 1:52 pm, Antti <Antti.Luk...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> 
>>Xilinx does use digikey, so they also have NO MINIMUM order.
>>
>>I see no  difference here, BOTH ARE BAD in that sense that the latest
>>and greatest silicon is NOT AVAILABLE.
>>
>>not from Xilinx online, not from Lattice online.
>>
>>Lattice could do an example here, and OFFER IMMEDIATE 1 OFF XP2
>>example ONLINE orders
>>
>>I bet most people would instanlty order.
>>
>>just 1 per customer, GIFT PACKAGED XP2 sample. One click order, no
>>questions, just PAY and get it.
>>
>>but eh, one can always dream... I do
>>
>>well, while dreaming that Xilinx/Lattice would improve their online
>>store to include ES silicon, guess what I am designed in? Actel PA3,
>>gee the QFN132 package is real nice one, glad to see XP2 includes this
>>package as well. To Lattice, I would have preferred XP over PA3, but
>>there was no tiny package available. Xilinx, same words: S3AN in
>>QFN132 would win many designs over MAX2,machXO,PA3,XP2... but S3AN
>>only has big ugly packages :(
> 
> 
> The reason that engineering samples are not available through online
> ordering is because this is a critical phase for a manufacturer and
> they want two things; one is to know who the customers are so they can
> learn as much as possible about the customer and application
> (including the sales potential, which is crucial and gets reported up
> the food chain) and to be able to provide support, sometimes in a
> proactive way.  With new parts, FPGA makers prefer to give out early
> engineering samples to the companies with larger potential and more
> experience.  The support a company can offer has a finite limit, so
> they want to make sure their biggest customers are successful first,
> then they can go after the smaller buyers.
> 
> You have to consider the vendor's position and give them a little
> slack on early sampling.  If they don't meet their goals in this early
> stage, it can doom a product that may never catch up!
> 

That can backfire, big time. Many vendors think that only large 
companies matter and fail to see that it's often the little guys like us 
consultant who really call the shots. Meaning their (big) client's 
engineers trust their decision and stick with it. I've had sales guys 
literally beg me to reconsider but in pretty much all cases it was too 
late. When the work is done a consultant cannot saddle a client with 
more NRE just because a vendor shows remorse about not having supported 
what they thought was "only a little guy".

A lot of companies, including nearly all European semi mfgs, don't even 
know what they have missed out on so far. Never will.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com