Raspberry Pi Availability and Restocks
The Raspberry Pi is seeing a boost in availability, with more restocks available for the popular SBC. That’s the encouraging news, given that the Raspberry Pi 4 release was met with supply issues earlier this year. Data from RPiLocator, a service that helps you locate Raspberry Pis, shows that availability trends are up, with the most growth coming from the new Pi Zero W.
Consistent Stock for Raspberry Pi 4
The Raspberry Pi 4 showed the most consistent stock, with 918 restocks recorded over the course of the analysis. This represents a significant increase over the previous year, which saw just 206 restocks. The Compute Module 4, which is more typically used in industrial applications, had fewer restocks compared to the Pi 4, but it’s still a welcome sign that the company is restocking its more versatile SBCs.
Stock Improvements for Raspberry Pi Zero W and Zero 2 W
The Raspberry Pi Zero W and Zero 2 W faced some of the biggest stock issues. The Zero W saw a five-week period without restocks, while the Zero 2 W faced a low availability of just one restock for the whole of Q1 2023. Fortunately, this seems to be improving, with 11 Zero W restocks recorded in June 2023, and a high of 32 Zero 2 W restocks in July.
Meanwhile, the older Raspberry Pi Zero W has been out of stock for 48 weeks, suggesting that the newer model is preferred despite its higher cost. The Raspberry Pi 3 also seems to be a viable option for those who don’t need the power of the Pi 4, with 549 restocks recorded across the board.
Compute Module 3 and Future Predictions
The Compute Module 3, however, doesn’t seem to be doing so well, with just 11 restocks in the whole of Q1 2023. In fact, it seems that the Compute Module 3 has been discontinued, with Upton confirming that extra units were made available for single-unit sales as a thank-you to customers in December 2022.
Despite the Pi 4’s availability issues, July 2023 showed the highest number of restocks to date, particularly for the Pi 4 and Pi Zero 2 W. Q1 2023 saw a dip in production due to stock allocation for the holiday period, but improved in June 2023, with Upton predicting that the company will be making a million units per month in Q2 2023.
While there’s still work to do, this is an encouraging sign for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts, and it looks like we’ll have plenty to keep us busy over the coming months.
