Altium provides lifeline for OrCAD Capture users

In particular, Altium is saying to OrCAD® Capture users and those using antiquated point-tool solutions, that they no longer have to feel trapped in the old divide & conquer design paradigm or be limited by their tool's scope. They can now secure their future with a low risk path into Altium's unified design solution, and start designing next generation electronic products using a holistic approach to the development task.

The world of electronics design has changed. Next generation electronics products won't be stand-alone devices. They will by smart devices connected to wider product ecosystems that provide a user experience that goes way beyond the manufactured hardware, said Emma Lo Russo, President of Altium. To create these products, designers need a solution that allows them to focus on the whole of the design task, not just fragmented bits of it, as traditional point tools do. Anything less will just put designers out of the game.

Altium's solution elevates product development beyond the confines of the device itself. It lets designers deliver functionality in both the soft and hard features of a product, and easily link devices to wider product ecosystems, in a single application. Designers have the freedom to explore and focus on functionality right from the start of the design process, independent of the ultimate hardware chosen to deploy the product. The ability to do this is critical in answering the challenges posed by today's tech-savvy, internet generation.

And because it is so important for the industry that designers have access to the tools and technologies they need, we've priced Altium Designer's custom board front-end design license to eliminate any barrier to deploying the solution throughout organizations, big or small. We want all designers to have access to this technology. We don't want designers to be stuck in the past. We want them to be free to innovate and create the products that are going to astound us in the future. They certainly won't do this if they can't make use of all the resources and technologies available, whether that is hardware, programmable hardware or software.

“The current recession has brought into sharp focus the need for companies to stay future-proofed. We see this new option as a way forward for anyone wanting to pioneer the new wave of electronics,” concluded Lo Russo.

Altium Designer's custom board front-end design solution for both board-level and programmable logic design is available for the subscription price of US$49 per month, purchased in 12-month blocks. As with the full implementation option announced last week, this subscription model plugs designers into Altium’s twice-yearly release stream, so that they remain up to date with technology and trends. A perpetual license option is also available at $995.


Pricing and availability
Altium Designer is available via the following purchasing options.
Custom Board Front-End Engineering License:
• US$49 per month purchased as a 12 month contract, totaling US$588 per annum per user license
• US$995 per perpetual user license which includes software assurance for the first 12 months, renewable annually thereafter for US$375 per user license
Full Custom Board Design License:
• US$195 per month purchased as a 12 month contract, totaling US$2,340 per annum per user license
• US$3,995 per perpetual user license which includes software assurance for the first 12 months, renewable annually thereafter for US$1,500 per user license

A complimentary viewer license is also available that provides for quick, easy and secure read-only exploration of design projects and documents that have been created using Altium Designer

Altium has also reduced the price of its desktop NanoBoard NB2, its reconfigurable development platform, which can be used with the front-end engineering option by designers who don't require custom-board design and layout capabilities. It now costs US$1,995. Find out more at www.altium.com.