Barbara, You appear to be ahead of the game. The story has gone viral in other media outlets. I noticed it was one of the top stories on Yahoo. See the following link: Teensy micro-computer goes on sale for $35.
I think this was definitely an underestimation of demand, combined with a product that is a little out of the ordinary for a component business. The Raspberry Pi seems to me to be something you would pick up at a hobby shop or a Radio Shack. My guess is, there are a lot of consumers and hobbyists out there that wanted this thing, and folks like Ben Heck has raised the awareness of distributors such as element14/Premier Farnell that was strictly in the industrial space. I have never heard of anything like this happening at an industrial distributor, even during allocation, but it happens at retail all the time.
Great question! No, actually distrbutors have been selling board-level products for awhile now. The Raspberry is a very basic board level computer that needs to be integrated with a screen, and interface and I'm not sure what else. Maybe it is more like a kit you can put together. It seems to me something you might see at Radio Shack.
Obviously, this is a good example of a great name meeting nicely with a nice product. Even if the name is compelling, the proof of the pudding is still in the eating. A marketing teacher I had once said the best advertising for a product is the product itself. Perhaps that's what's at play here and not just the name.
Barbara, Perhaps the successful debut of the Raspberry Pi has something to do with the name -- imagine, first, raspberry and then Pi. Raspberry pi (pie?)
Another supply chain snafu or just a simple case of underestimated demand? Did these companies fail to anticipate demand or was it just impossible? The pendulum may swing in another direction and too widely if they focused on meeting pent up demand.
Barbara, This is an interesting post. The first question it brought to my mind was are these distributors becoming OEMs and competing against their customers?
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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