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By MercenaryForHire on 7/19/2006 3:29:19 PM , Rating: 1
"Embedded" does not always equal "handheld/PDA/cellphone."

By TomZ on 7/19/2006 10:30:47 PM , Rating: 2

That's very true, but outside of that space the battery requirement drops out but the x86 requirement still doesn't drop in. I only see x86 in some applications like industrial control where PC hardware is re-used in small form factors like PC/104 in order to leverage PC development tools. Beyond that, x86 is too inefficient to be able to compete with other architectures like PowerPC, ARM, etc. in high-volume applications, because they are simpler, cheaper, and also typically include a bunch of on-board peripherals that are specialized for a particular task (e.g., engine control). The low end of the microcontroller market is really competitive, and x86 offerings have no traction there.

