I just read that Newark purchased CadSoft, including Eagle CAD. I guess it’s probably old news to everyone but me. The press release about it that Newark posted on its website, Element 14, has a date of Aug. 13. I find this purchase an interesting development and I don’t quite know what it means, or if it means anything.
I guess partnering is becoming a trend. Certainly, we’re involved in some good partnerships (Sunstone, Digi-Key, NXP, National Instruments) and Sunstone’s PCB123 connects up with Digi-Key parts. It does make sense. The engineer’s job has just gotten more difficult with this recession and the ensuing reduction in support staff. That’s pretty much what our ECOsystem partnership is all about — taking the disparate tasks involved in getting a prototype built up and reducing the steps and complexity involved in the process.
The Eagle / Newark deal does have me very curious. For one, I hope the CadSoft folks got a good deal. Their product has done a lot toward lowering the barriers to electronics design and they deserve a lot for that. The big questions are for the future. Will Eagle remain as accessible as it is? Will Newark throw a lot of resources into it and keep it moving forward? Will it get good attention or will it be treated as an impulse buy and not be given focus or direction? Hmmm…
Duane Benson
What about Element 32?