Today we have the current state of ASIC:
BFL claims to have chips in the work, and had a visitor to inspect their boxes with fans. Probability of a total fuckup: high
AVALON, has 2 fully confirmed units shipped 2 others with a hint and several? in China of which they aren't telling us anything. Probability of a total fuckup: low
ASICMINER has raised a substantial hashrate, but nothing so out of the ordinary that they should be taken for granted, unloading of shares by IPO investors has begun. Probabilty of a total fuckup: unknown
I always was one of the harshest skeptics in regards to ASICs, right now the consensus is very optimistic on the forum. I will write more on this as it unfolds lets just say I smell something in the air.
What I am fairly certain of is that all ASIC companies have invested a large part of their preorder money in BTC upto the point where they are entirely invested in it. So even under the most optimistic scenario of no fuckups there will be serious profit taking along the way.
tl;dr this rally is an ASIC bubble.
Skeptical. ASIC buzz is certainly one of the positive contributors to the current state of the bitcoin ecosystem, but I don't consider it *the* driver. There are many things that have recently come together (which I
explicitly enumerated in another thread). Also note that I originally consider BFL a likely scam, largely due to the awful lack of professionalism demonstrated by at least one of their reps. Given that other ASICs have been demonstrated, though, I'm not so critical of BFL anymore, but the verdict is still out until they ship in volume.
In short, I agree that massive ASIC disappointment is possible, and that it would kill the exchange rate for a while. That would not, however, modify my medium/long-term view of bitcoin.