[robotresearcher]

Many ICs contain state. That's RAM's purpose, for example.

The analogy with OOP is that (ideally) you don't need to know how it works internally: you just use the external interface.

[aidenn0]

Heck, many mixed-signal ICs are much harder to use correctly than a typical object; Things like "Vdd must be brought up to +6V or higher before CLK begins toggling" are not too uncommon to see.

[systemvoltage]

It's a loose analogy. You're going to find exceptions. I think its a fantastic analogy to describe what a class is despite of some exceptions.

[aidenn0]

I was actually agreeing with the analogy.