February is here. The 32-bit Due is not here. Why is Arduino so tight-lipped about this delay? This failure in open-ness is disturbing.

The LeafLabs module called Maple seems like an excellent alternative. Not sure why it's not catching on. Priced at $45 US dollars, that's $20 less than the 8-bit Arduino Mega 2560. The programming environment in Maple is compatible with Arduino! It's based on Wiring C. If it ever comes out, the price for the Due will likely be higher than the Mega 2560 - so I predict the Due will cost around $70 US dollars. Arduino can prove me wrong. Anyway, some high level specs on the Maple:

Maple | LeafLabs

Microcontroller: STM32F103RB (32-Bit)

Clock Speed: 72 MHz

Flash Memory: 128 KB

SRAM: 20KB

Operating Voltage: 3.3V

64 Channel nested vector interrupt handler

Digital I/O Pins: 39

16-Bit PWM: 15

Analog Input Pins: 16 (12 Bit!)

Integrated SPI/I2C and 7 Channels of DMA

Support for low power and sleep modes (<500uA)

Dimensions: 2.05"x2.1"

Perhaps Arduino should consider changing over from ATMEL to STM since Maple already has them beat on the 32-bit front. I think the community would be best served if Arduino & LeafLabs join forces!