$5 for a $2 op-amp or a regulator is one thing, but when you need something slightly special, it goes to $10 or $20, just because TI doesn't have a comparable part. If you need more than a handful in your design, you're screwed.

Yeah, their parts generally are very good, but the industry isn't healthy if they're the only company with good designs.

All this consolidation has left a lot of room for a good competitor. We're not seeing one here in the US, because students today think analog stuff is terrifying black magic and avoid it like the plague, but I'm a little surprised we haven't seen any serious competitors out of China, since analog designs don't usually need the crazy expensive silicon processes that digital designs do.

Also, for the same $20, would you rather sell a 0.5 cm^2 microprocessor at 45 nm, or a 0.1 cm^2 analog to digital converter at 130 nm? Analog ICs should be a really good business.