I keep seeing the old 8051 architecture around a lot. But I can't see why people would want to use this old architecture in their products when there seem better alternatives around, such as ARM cores, and if you're not designing your own MSP430s, AVRs, PICs offer a good feature set and are low cost. So why are they still so popular?
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From Wikipedia:
Designers use 8051 silicon IP cores, because of the smaller size, and lower power, compared to 32 bit processors like ARM M series, MIPS and BA22. Modern 8051 cores are faster than earlier packaged versions. Design improvements have increased 8051 performance while retaining compatibility with the original MCS 51 instruction set. [ ... ] Enhanced 8051 silicon IP cores now run at one clock cycle per machine cycle, and have clock frequencies of up to 450 MHz. That means an 8051-compatible processor can now execute 450 million instructions per second.
Some engineers may have learned about the 8051 in school, and so they reach for the familiar part in their designs. (This is like the question: why are new schematics still drawn with the 741 op-amp?)
Also, this is a very helpful, entertaining read which touches on the subject of why isn't something more complex and powerful always chosen in favor of the simple: http://www.danielsen.com/jokes/objecttoaster.txt
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\$\begingroup\$ completely agree with you, I have to learn this in next year. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Feb 28, 2013 at 18:46
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\$\begingroup\$ The 8051 has some nice features, but there are some features I've longed for, for awhile, that would improve it immensely. For example, rather than requiring the use of MOVX to access external memory, use some of the register space for that. Most 8051 clones have dozens of free addresses in the I/O space, and a pipelined external memory interface could make many types of code vastly more efficient, at relatively minor cost (using design ideas from the 1970's PIC microcontrollers whose patents have long since expired). \$\endgroup\$– supercatCommented Feb 28, 2013 at 21:28
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\$\begingroup\$ Microchip was formed in 1987 from General Instruments - PIC began in about 1984-ish @ GI. The very first uContoller the 4004 was released in 1971. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 2:34
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\$\begingroup\$ What I can't understand is people using an 8051 clone like the AT89S52 for things like controlling a robot. It seems insane to use an expensive chip with basically no peripherals when an atmega or even attiny would be infinitely superior. I think a lot of it is because at some (bad in my opinion) universities, they teach embedded design with an ultra simple controller, but then never even mention other ones. \$\endgroup\$– BeB00Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 22:35