>
>
> Real engineers designing real products don't choose components on the basis
> of availability of free samples. Non-availability (in small quantities with
> short lead time) can be a factor but not having to pay a few dollars for
> them isn't.
>
> For simple components with a mechanical aspect like switches and connectors
> evaluation is mostly just looking at them and putting samples in engineers
> hands could be a worth while loss leader. The effort required to evaluate
> most Microchip products make paying a few dollars for the product to
> evaluate irrelevant.
>
> I very much doubt the $7.50 charge lost Microchip any design wins, it might
> have lost them some hobbyist/students who might one day be real engineers
> responsible for design wins, pretty speculative and we don't know how badly
> their sample service was being abused.
>
>
As a college student, I sampled lots of PICs, but I also learned with them
in my spare time. Starting with the 16F, going to 12F and 10F for small
projects, then I started playing with C18, but never made it to dsPICs.

Then I finished school and got a job. I was given sole authority on the
design of my first project. I chose a PIC. Because Microchip sent me free
samples, I became familiar with their product line and use their products as
a hobbyist at home. Now I use them as a professional at work.

I know this is an exceptional case, but their free samples got them another
customer.

Also, as Bob A. said, obtaining samples is a hassle when working for a big
company. If they were free, I could simply order some and have them in a few
days. But when charging for shipping, I have to submit a request to
accounting, they have to approve, then send it over to purchasing (and hope
they order the correct part/footprint/voltage-level). This is not a fast
process.

-Scott Larson
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