德州儀器(TI)正計(jì)劃重新調(diào)整其OMAP應(yīng)用處理器(Application Processor,AP)策略，未來將鎖定嵌入式應(yīng)用，但卻減少了智能手機(jī)和平板電腦市場的投入──盡管該公司已在這兩個領(lǐng)域贏得部份令人矚目的設(shè)計(jì)訂單──這項(xiàng)宣示出乎許多業(yè)界人士的意料。 然而，F(xiàn)orward Concepts公司首席分析師 Will Strauss 并不會對此感到太過驚訝。早在2010年11月，Strauss便篤定市場趨勢會導(dǎo)致TI策略大幅轉(zhuǎn)移，指出未來應(yīng)用處理器將朝著整合基帶的方向前進(jìn)，而TI必須做出決定。 隨后，Strauss表示，OMAP當(dāng)時(shí)在3G手機(jī)應(yīng)用處理器出貨方面大幅領(lǐng)先，但高通(Qualcomm)也憑借著 Snapdragon 通信處理器緊追在后，高通的組件將應(yīng)用處理器和蜂窩式調(diào)制解調(diào)器功能整合在單一芯片上。 Strauss 預(yù)測，融合了應(yīng)用處理器和調(diào)制解調(diào)器的整合型芯片到2014年將占整體應(yīng)用處理器出貨量的四分之三。

針對不少媒體的誤解，德州儀器日前在微博上對退出移動市場一事辟謠
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TI已經(jīng)全面退出蜂窩式調(diào)制解調(diào)器業(yè)務(wù)，僅承諾繼續(xù)對諾基亞出貨?，F(xiàn)在，TI不得不做出選擇──為了讓今后OMAP在智能手機(jī)和平板市場能維持競爭力重新跳回蜂窩式調(diào)制解調(diào)器領(lǐng)域，或是準(zhǔn)備改變策略。 Strauss指出，英特爾藉由并購英飛凌(Infineon)的無線芯片部門鋪設(shè)了重回蜂窩式基帶市場的道路；而Nvidia的情況也很類似──Tegra應(yīng)用處理器看來頗具潛力，但該公司一樣沒有基帶。 “TI和Nvidia這兩家公司的規(guī)模都足以去并購少數(shù)僅存的調(diào)制解調(diào)器開發(fā)商，他們應(yīng)該這么做，”當(dāng)時(shí)Strauss寫道。 Strauss挑出當(dāng)時(shí)最有吸引力的調(diào)制解調(diào)器制造商Icera Semiconductor。幾個月后， Nvidia 以3.67億美元收購Icera公司。而TI則是在和聯(lián)發(fā)科(MediaTek)與其它對手的價(jià)格戰(zhàn)之后，厭倦了基帶業(yè)務(wù)，無意再扭轉(zhuǎn)這部份的業(yè)務(wù)。 接下來，盡管英特爾(Intel)和Nvidia都同意強(qiáng)化基帶能力，以做為未來進(jìn)軍智能手機(jī)和平板電腦的憑障，但TI選擇了不同的道路。 Nvidia現(xiàn)在提供Tegra和Icera基帶芯片，并計(jì)劃明年推出整合在同一芯片上的版本。Strauss認(rèn)為，英特爾最終將把Atom或下一代芯片 與基帶共同整合在單一芯片上，但他表示，至少要等到2014年才有可能。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：大局抵定

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{pagination} 大局抵定 據(jù) Strauss表示，過去一段時(shí)間以來，TI內(nèi)部一直在重新討論OMAP。他在上周發(fā)表的文章中指出，TI嵌入式處理部門資深副總裁Greg Delagi強(qiáng)調(diào)，針對這次的策略轉(zhuǎn)向，該公司過去幾年來已經(jīng)陸續(xù)轉(zhuǎn)移OMAP的R&D投資來做好準(zhǔn)備。他堅(jiān)稱以近幾年市場趨勢來看，TI并沒有被打個“措手不及”。 Delga 所稱的市場變化趨勢也包括蘋果(Apple)和三星(Samsung)在平板電腦領(lǐng)域表現(xiàn)突出，而他們都有自己的應(yīng)用處理器。這使得整個平板市場只剩下一小塊餅給像TI、Qualcomm、Nvidia和英特爾等廠商分食。 然而，許多分析師也替出，這個規(guī)模較小的餅實(shí)際上也不小，以該公司的R&D投資來看，TI可能得承受每年約9億美元來自智能手機(jī)和平板領(lǐng)域中的OMAP和連接芯片衰退損失。不過，Strauss表示，在缺乏基帶情況下，TI在智能手機(jī)和平板電腦市場的壽命也不會長久。 Strauss在接受記者采訪時(shí)指出，“整合基帶是必然趨勢?！? 這絕對不代表著OMAP的終結(jié)。Delagi強(qiáng)調(diào)，OMAP在180億美元的嵌入式處理器市場有著更大機(jī)會，雖然這個市場很分散，但卻有著更多客戶。TI還可以利用其強(qiáng)大的模擬實(shí)力來強(qiáng)化在嵌入式市場的優(yōu)勢，該公司聲稱在該市場占有率已達(dá)12%，位居第二名。 “這個市場對他們來說發(fā)揮空間很大，”Strauss說?！按_實(shí)，這也是他們唯一要走的路。OMAP是能夠獲利的產(chǎn)品線。但它不會針對以10億為出貨單位的大量市場?！? 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯： Joy Teng 參考英文原文： Why OMAP can't compete in smartphones ，by Dylan McGrath

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{pagination} Why OMAP can't compete in smartphones Dylan McGrath SAN FRANCISCO—News this week that Texas Instruments plans to refocus its successful OMAP applications processor to target embedded applications—all but abandoning future smartphone and tablet sockets, despite some notable design wins—caught many people off guard. But not Will Strauss, principal analyst at Forward Concepts Inc. Back in November 2010, Strauss identified the trend that would lead to TI's strategic shift, and wrote about it in his monthly newsletter—the future of applications processors involved integrated baseband, and TI had a decision to make. Back then, Strauss reported that OMAP was the leader in 3G cell phone apps processor shipments, but that Qualcomm was already nipping at its heels with the Snapdragon communications processor, which offered both an applications processor and cellular modem on the same die. Strauss predicted that combo chips that integrated both apps processor and modem would make up nearly three-quarters of applications processor shipments by 2014. TI had already all but exited the cellular modem business, pledging only to continue shipments to Nokia. Now TI had to make a choice—jump back into cellular modems with both feet in order to remain competitive down the road with OMAP for smartphones and tablets, or prepare to change strategies. Strauss, pointing out that Intel had recently bought its way back into the cellular baseband market by acquiring the wireless chip unit of Infineon, noted that Nvidia was in a similar situation—Nvidia had the promising Tegra apps processor, but no baseband. "Both companies [TI and Nvidia] are big enough to buy one of the few remaining modem houses, should they decide to take that route," Strauss wrote at the time. Strauss singled out Icera Semiconductor as the most attractive modem maker left. Nvidia bought Icera for $367 million a few months later. TI, having tired of the baseband business after being undercut on price by MediaTek and others, had no intention of reversing its field. And the rest is history. While Intel and Nvidia were willing to ante up to add baseband capability as table stakes to get into the game for future smartphone and tablet sockets, TI choose the low road. Nvidia is now offering both Tegra and the Icera baseband chips, and plans to start shipping a version with both integrated on the same die next year. Strauss believes Intel will ultimately put either Atom or a successor on the same die with the baseband, but he suspects it won't happen until at least 2014. A foregone conclusion According to Strauss, the inevitability of re-focusing OMAP has been a foregone conclusion by at least some people within TI for some time. In his remarks on the strategy earlier this week, Greg Delagi, TI's senior vice president for embedded processing, stressed that the company had been shifting R&D investments in OMAP for several years in preparation for this move. He insisted that TI had not been caught "flat-footed" by the market trends. The primary reason for the change cited by Delgai is also relevant. Apple and Samsung are the dominant players in smartphones and tablets, and they make their own applications processors. That leaves a smaller pie for the likes of TI, Qualcomm, Nvidia and Intel. But as has been pointed out by analysts and others, that smaller pie is not that small, and TI may suffer as its roughly $900 million in annual revenue from OMAP and connectivity chips in smartphones and tablets declines along with its R&D investment. But, according to Strauss, without the baseband capability, TI wasn't going to be able to hang on to the smartphone and tablet sockets it has for much longer. "The clear trend is toward an integrated baseband," Strauss said in an interview this week. This is by no means the end of the line for OMAP. As Delagi stressed, OMAP has a real opportunity to grow share in the $18 billion embedded processor market, where there are many more customers, but smaller volumes. TI can also leverage its strength in analog to improve its position in embedded processing, where the company already claims 12 percent market share and the No. 2 position. "It's a reasonable market for them," Straus said. "It's really they only approach they've got. That [OMAP] can be a profitable product line. It just won't be a 1 billion unit product line."