Raspberry Pi Model B sold out in a matter of minutes

Six year in the making, the highly anticipated micro computer known as the Raspberry Pi finally launched yesterday, February 29, 2012. Before you start switching windows and searching for the selling website, you might want to know that there is no rush, at least not anymore, as the device has been sold out and is now under the ‘preorder’ mode.

Due to this overflow of orders and visits, which ended up in creating heavy loads on the websites selling the product itself, the Raspberry Pi is currently under a strict one-per-customer situation until the rush of orders stabilizes in a month or so. The executive director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Eben Upton, as announced their global licensing deals with RS Components and Premier Farnell which will now manage all manufacturing and distribution of the Model A and B of the device.

“The involvement of RS Components and Premier Farnell means that we can build volume much, much faster than would have been possible on our own,” adds the Raspberry Pi website. “We are no longer limited to batches of only 10k Raspberry Pis; the Raspberry Pi will now be built to match demand.”

“Both Premier Farnell and RS Components have worldwide distribution networks, so wherever you are in the world, you will be able to buy from a local distributor,” the site adds. “This will save you money on shipping; it’s a much better way for you to buy than getting them all shipped from the Foundation in the UK.”

Even though two models exist, only Model B was on offer yesterday. Differences between the two are rather small, especially now that the Model A has seen its memory size increased to 256MB. Both models use a 700MHz ARM11 processor and feature a USB 2.0 port, HDMI and RCA outputs, a 3.5mm audio jack and an SD card slot. The Model B offers an extra USB port as well as an Ethernet port for only 10$ more.

“We are launching with Model Bs as there has been a much larger demand for them from the community,” the team states. “This first launch is aimed at software and hardware enthusiasts, makers, teachers and others who want to build exciting things with the Raspberry Pi before the official educational launch, which will happen later in 2012.”

Along with the current out-of-stock model B, the Raspberry Pi will also be offered in two bundles and an accessory pack available soon. If you haven’t been able to place your order, Eben Upton told CNN that the cheaper Model A unit will be going into production within the next several weeks, therefore it shouldn’t be long before you see more availability on this product.

Available for pre-order now from either Premier Farnell or RS Components (Model B only), the model A is priced at $25 while the model B is up for $35 (£21.60). International customers may not get access to this product yet, so those interested are asked only to be patient.

For more information, please refer to the official product web site.

Source: Tom’s Hardware