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posted by janrinok on Wednesday May 24 2023, @02:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the it's-almost-over dept.

https://www.howtogeek.com/894161/the-great-raspberry-pi-shortage-might-be-coming-to-an-end/

According to Raspberry Pi CEO, Eben Upton, in an interview with YouTuber Jeff Geerling, the company put together 750,000 Raspberry Pi units in the first quarter of the year. That isn't a lot, but it also says that it's on track for building 2 million units this second quarter, helping it fill backlogged orders and paving the way for "unconstrained" supply during the remaining half of the year. Ultimately though, it means that you should expect units such as the Raspberry Pi 4 to be more widely available by the end of this year.


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  • (Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:15AM (11 children)

    by Opportunist (5545) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:15AM (#1307865)

    Or it will not be enough units to make prices come back down to sane levels.

    The reason for this is simple: Scalpers won't allow it. The "suggested" retail price of a RPi4 is somewhere between 50 and 80 bucks, depending on ram and various tidbits. The currently going price for one is somewhere in the area of 200 to 250. In other words, a scalper can buy 3, throw 2 away, sell one and STILL turn a profit.

    And they will do just that.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:25AM (4 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:25AM (#1307866)

      >And they will do just that.

      Only so long as people are paying their prices.

      I have never wanted a Pi badly enough to pay more than MSRP.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:55PM (3 children)

        by Opportunist (5545) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:55PM (#1307936)

        People are paying those prices, or else they would not do that.

        There's tons of Pi projects out there that people want to have but can't port themselves to a cheaper and more readily available platform. 250 isn't breaking the bank for most of them since they only need one such machine for something like a Pi-Hole or a similar project. So they bite the bullet and cough up the dough.

        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @04:23PM (2 children)

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @04:23PM (#1307947)

          At the $250 point, for a software only project like a Pi hole, there are so much more capable things out there in the NUC and smaller form factors.

          I do hope the sane market prevails. I don't blame the Pi Foundation for preferring to supply people series manufacturing things with Pis over hobbyists. It's nearly impossible to discriminate a hobbyist from a scalper on the purchase portals, but if any of these series manufacturers' assigned MAC addresses show up in scalper hands, you can definitely mark them as "bad actor" and stop supplying them.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
          • (Score: 2) by Booga1 on Saturday May 27 2023, @03:48PM (1 child)

            by Booga1 (6333) on Saturday May 27 2023, @03:48PM (#1308507)

            It's amazing how focused people are on the Raspberry Pi. I have a friend who wants to hook one up to his TV for retro game console emulation. I've pointed him to several alternatives that are still reasonably priced, but he's probably going to get an RPi anyway.
            He doesn't want to manually install everything from scratch or modify configs every time he wants to do something with it.The convenience of being able to follow instructions on websites outweighs the cost.

            • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday May 27 2023, @05:19PM

              by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday May 27 2023, @05:19PM (#1308517)

              Yep. I do a lot of original development and I still value the Raspberry Pi ecosystem for the time it saves me in getting common stuff done/working.

              Now, on principal I won't overpay for a Pi because that enormous support community only exists due to the exceptionally consistently low prices of Pi hardware and the relatively few configurations as compared with number of units sold.... But the value is there.

              --
              🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by theluggage on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:31AM (5 children)

      by theluggage (1797) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:31AM (#1307867)

      The "capitalism sucks" solution would be (/would have been) to increase the MSRP to reflect the shortage in supply and regulate demand (increasing supply would be better, but that wasn't possible). Scalpers can only scalp if something is being sold for less than the market will bear. They could always offer discounts on direct sales to genuine customers.

      • (Score: 2) by Ingar on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:41AM

        by Ingar (801) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:41AM (#1307869) Homepage

        That's not "Capitalism" but "Free market".

      • (Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:59PM (2 children)

        by Opportunist (5545) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:59PM (#1307939)

        While nice in theory, it would most certainly utterly destroy the market for Pi forever.

        One key reason why there is this shortage of Pis is that the Raspberry foundation gives preferential treatment to commercial implementers. Which makes sense from their point of view, no matter how much it may piss off the hobbyists, because that market is far more mobile and far less willing to pay triple or more for their goods from scalpers. If they don't get what they want at MSRP, they can far more easily migrate to another platform than the hobbyist who can often only just clone a github project, compile it and hope for the best because migrating is already beyond their capabilities.

        But if they sell to commercial customers at MSRP prices and to hobbyists at the scalper prices, not only will hobbyists get VERY pissed, the commercial customers will simply shut down their production and join the scalpers. And then RPi is done for.

        • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday May 24 2023, @06:36PM

          by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @06:36PM (#1307984)

          > the commercial customers will simply shut down their production and join the scalpers.

          Why would you expect them to do that? The market price is already ridiculous, having the OEM get in on the scalping wouldn't significantly change the market landscape.

        • (Score: 2) by theluggage on Thursday May 25 2023, @05:17PM

          by theluggage (1797) on Thursday May 25 2023, @05:17PM (#1308143)

          But if they sell to commercial customers at MSRP prices and to hobbyists at the scalper prices, not only will hobbyists get VERY pissed, the commercial customers will simply shut down their production and join the scalpers. And then RPi is done for.

          Hobbyists are paying scalper prices to shady suppliers anyway (or going without) and would probably be less pissed at paying the the Pi makers via reputable dealers. Commercial customers have invested in products & services built around the Pi and would be suicidal to join the scalpers - plus, they're buying on business-to-business contracts which, unlike retail sales, can have "not for resale" clauses added.

      • (Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday May 24 2023, @07:16PM

        by sjames (2882) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @07:16PM (#1307996) Journal

        Hopefully the availability will expand fast enough for the market to give the scalpers a richly deserved spanking and force them to hold a fire sale.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Rich on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:49AM (6 children)

    by Rich (945) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @10:49AM (#1307871) Journal

    "No Longer Dry" != "more widely available by the end of this year"

    I watched one of the recent interviews with Upton. He's moved so far into the MBA corner that he talked for an hour (and he talks super fast) without me remembering that he said anything meaningful.

    But the competition just doesn't pick up. Imagine "what if" Radxa (makers of the RockPi) made Naomi Wu their spokesperson. :)

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by ElizabethGreene on Wednesday May 24 2023, @02:07PM (5 children)

      by ElizabethGreene (6748) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 24 2023, @02:07PM (#1307903) Journal

      The last interview I watched with him was informative to me. My big takeaways were:

      * The reason for the current shortage is that all the component fabs ran down their inventories pre-Covid and were slow to ramp up post-Covid. That's caused month-to-year long delays for some components as other OEs buy out entire fab runs to refill their funnels.

      * As mentioned above, they expect broad availability of all products by Q4 of this year. The older products are more likely to be available sooner than the newer ones.

      * When interviewing a potential hire, "Can you talk about a project you've worked on that wasn't for work or school?" is an extremely good way to gauge a person.

      * In both Computer Science and Business you can self-teach or you can get a formal education; both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Both approaches will leave you with blind spots.

      He's an interesting guy.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Rich on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:23PM (3 children)

        by Rich (945) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:23PM (#1307925) Journal

        The reason for the current shortage is that all the component fabs ran down their inventories pre-Covid and were slow to ramp up post-Covid. That's caused month-to-year long delays for some components as other OEs buy out entire fab runs to refill their funnels.

        That is no news, and it could have been condensed to under a minute: "We've had, and are still having, an extreme example of the pig cycle with the suppliers.". At no point did it get interesting, except maybe the hint that the Pi 4's SoC is on a smaller node than the previous ones and (implied only!) they can't get wafer starts.

        As mentioned above, they expect broad availability of all products by Q4 of this year. The older products are more likely to be available sooner than the newer ones.

        This is far from TFA's "no longer dry" and even "Raspberry Pi 4 [...] more widely available" reads to me as "a drop of water on a hot stone is less dry than the hot stone alone".

        When interviewing a potential hire, "Can you talk about a project you've worked on that wasn't for work or school?" is an extremely good way to gauge a person.

        Hiring 1x1. Nothing you wouldn't hear from any self-appointed HR coach on YouTube in their first video. As in "show me your github". However, you'll be lucky these days if someone comes your way as a small business, who's able to show anything in that regard. A personal favourite of mine to complement that is: "What kind of music do you MAKE?". I've found that people who make music in any fashion will hardly ever be a dud to work with.

        In both Computer Science and Business you can self-teach or you can get a formal education; both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Both approaches will leave you with blind spots.

        A prime example of saying nothing for a prolonged period, because it's bloody obvious. What I indeed took away is that he suggested orthogonal studies, i.e. if you're into computer science, consider studying business, and vice versa.

        I've had the displeasure of working with UK IT people before, and my impression is that they're more cutthroat about business than anywhere else, yet perform only at average levels. Raspi got the kickstart from Broadcom (*) and still surfs on the lucky wave that few Chinese have another attitude than "spot the money, take it, and run".

        (*) I think I remember one thing from the interview: "To be successful in business, you need to be lucky." ;)

        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @05:41PM (2 children)

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @05:41PM (#1307972)

          >We've had, and are still having, an extreme example of the pig cycle with the suppliers.

          A toilet paper analogy could also help there...

          >a drop of water on a hot stone is less dry than the hot stone alone

          Inasmuch as six million units is a drop of water

          >you'll be lucky these days if someone comes your way as a small business, who's able to show anything

          Once upon a time I threw an application to a small business and I took the time to look up a couple of their patents, and somehow let them know I had done this in the application letter. They seemed to be mightily impressed, they invited me over and a team of 4-6 engineers interviewed me for several hours. All because I took the effort to look up a couple of their patents. The labor pool must be really shallow...

          >it's bloody obvious

          And bloody important, and bloody well unknown to a LOT of people out there who would be much better off if they finally saw the obviousness of it - which they are unlikely to, but even if that message only sinks into 1/1000 concrete blockheads who hear it, it's making meaningful positive change in the world.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
          • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday May 24 2023, @06:56PM (1 child)

            by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @06:56PM (#1307991)

            >The labor pool must be really shallow...

            That's the ideal right? Low unemployment?

            More than that though, even that little bit of effort suggests that both you're competent enough to have plenty of other options, so could discard their offer before you even apply, and that you are interested in working specifically for them. And looking into the patents rather than (in addition to?) their business history and public propaganda (web site, etc) suggests you're interested in the work itself, not just what they can offer you in return.

            How many people actually care about their employer? There's lots of opportunities for anyone competent, and with the death of company loyalty it's ultimately just a business transaction - they're buying your labor with some combination of money, benefits, and work environment until one of you gets a better offer. And if the specific work they're doing interests you then you're likely to be both more productive and more difficult to lure away. And if they're not-uncommon dickish employers, more likely to be willing to work for lower wages.

            • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @08:31PM

              by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @08:31PM (#1308007)

              >How many people actually care about their employer?

              Well, there's the other employer that I researched their open FDA warning letters after getting my initial interview scheduled... I went through with the interview for the practice, and perspective, and experience, and having done so I was really trying to get the offer that I would ultimately be refusing, but that hesitation came through during the conversation... I really really didn't want to work for a place that's so immature they still think they can tell the FDA to go F themselves and get away with it.

              --
              🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @05:32PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @05:32PM (#1307967)

        I've been watching the horrors of JIT supply chain off and on firsthand since 1986... the COVID supply chain meltdown wasn't only predictable, it was long overdue.

        >Both approaches will leave you with blind spots.

        All approaches leave humans with blind spots, which is why there is power in diversity and strong communication skills.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Wednesday May 24 2023, @04:46PM (2 children)

    by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 24 2023, @04:46PM (#1307954) Homepage Journal

    Have they fixed the USB-C power-supply standards incompatibility on Raspberry 4 yet?

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @05:34PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday May 24 2023, @05:34PM (#1307968)

      That would be a re-design, and from what little I have gleaned about USB-C power-supply standards, the blame is as much to lie with the overly complex and rarely complied with standards as with any particular design that isn't 100% compatible with all possible permutations. Having said that, I also gather that the Pi 4 also _could be_ a bit better than it is, even if 100% compliance is hopeless and futile.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by Zinho on Thursday May 25 2023, @02:41PM

      by Zinho (759) on Thursday May 25 2023, @02:41PM (#1308119)

      Tom's Hardware reported in September 2022 [tomshardware.com] that the RPi foundation had revised their USB-C power socket to work correctly with the e-marked cables it was having trouble with before. At that time they intended to finish selling their stock of the previous revision, resulting in a temporarily-mixed supply stream of "maybe/maybe not" products.

      8 months and several million shipped units (none of which made it to hobbyists) later, I'm confident that the next time I'm able to buy a RPi 4 at MicroCenter it will be one of the new models.

      If not, the forum demonstrated a DIY fix, [raspberrypi.com] which is a solution provided that you're brave enough to try it.

      --
      "Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
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