Here at PC Gamer you can write about many cool creations, impressive and creative DIY solutions. At the center of many of these is a Raspberry Pi of some sort. (opens in new tab)The company is known for providing cheap computing hardware made for playing and experimenting.
The company gave us a little update on the good and bad news about future production in an interview. description computer (opens in new tab) (via Arstecnica (opens in new tab)) can be seen embedded at the top of this article. Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton has revealed that supply pressure means he won’t be launching the new Raspberry Pi 5 in 2023, but that’s largely due to everyone’s expectations in the meantime. Because I have enough Pi.
The Raspberry Pi 5 was originally scheduled for late 2023.This is the current raspberry pi 4 (opens in new tab)Faster processors and Wi-Fi, more RAM, etc., are great things to have in this credit-card-sized computer. For now, you just need a good old Pi 4, and thankfully it should be available soon.
In an interview, Upton explains that most orders for these tiny computers don’t come from big companies. Instead, it’s often smaller companies that use Pi or sell products built on the Pi platform. These companies buy hundreds at a time to meet their needs, but current supply constraints make this very difficult. A shortage of Pi units could really affect these outfits, so it makes a lot of sense to focus on increasing supplies rather than releasing something new.
Also, putting customers on a waiting list goes against the direct DIY nature of the Pi platform. It has always been important to get units into people’s hands in the easiest and most cost-effective way possible. Gatekeeping, even with supply constraints, goes against the philosophy of Pi.
“I don’t want to be on the waiting list,” Upton said in an interview with ExplainingComputers. “We want people to wake up in the morning and want a Raspberry Pi, and the next morning at 9am he has a Raspberry Pi.”
So instead of the Pi 5 coming in 2023, the company is working to restock its inventory this year. This gives the Raspberry Pi extra time to build something new and awesome when supplies permit, rather than dealing with the current uncertainty. The next Raspberry Pi may be a little far away, but it’s definitely worth the wait.
