This all is very unfortunate.
Could this be the end of Bit-Coins?
Looks like all the hashing power is going to end up in just a few peoples hands.
What made bit-coin great was the ability for anyone who wanted to mine to do so.
This has all changed and could be the downfall for bit-coin.
Maybe it's time to discontinue the use of bit-coin's and start using lite-coin's.
I hate to say it, but I think you might be right. GPUs were the great equalizer. Anyone could walk into a computer store and walk out with hashing equipment. Now, you are entirely at the mercy of ASIC companies. The temptation is too great for these manufacturers not to ship. Why should they? They have 100% of the control - they have your money, your equipment, and all the time they need. Only when the devices are worthless are they shipped. With the exception of ASICMINER, there's so much conclusive evidence of foul-play, it makes me never want to buy another ASIC again. I feel that if this continues, the BTC community may collectively say "enough" and move to LTC. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't make ASICs for the scrypt protocol.
I wouldn't be so fast to give ASICMiner a pass. I don't think a single person who bought ASICMiner hardware to mine actually made their bitcoin back. Sure, some folks may have done OK by selling to a greater fool, but ASICMiner prices are outrageous so buying ASICMiner hardware to mine is a losing proposition for the miner.
It's the consumers fault (I'm a consumer) if they never reached ROI. The first several blade sales were through auction, so we set the price. AM had that equipment to me, fully operational and meeting specs, in less than four days. AM would be the only company I would feel comfortable buying from at the moment.
True, it's business as usual in the bitcoin mining world. With the exception of a few folks in the DIY community on this site, everyone is trying to rip everyone else off. It's actually pretty sad.
BFL, Avalon, and ASICMiner are some of the worst ripoff offenders, and don't even get me started on folks who auction off ASICs on ebay and this site.
I'll reiterate. ASICMINER, so far, has always delivered product on-hand and on-time. Don't lump them in with BFL and Avalon. Also, just as long as bid-shilling isn't happening, auctions are the best way to find the true value/price of anything. If someone wants to spend $1,000 for a Beanie Baby or $1,000,000 for a Picasso, that's the value. The BTC community set the high prices on AM devices, not friedcat.
The main reason that monopolies are illegal is because buyers get screwed and sellers can essentially charge whatever they want. ASICMiner essentially had a monopoly on in hand ASIC mining hardware that ships immediately for the last six months, so they could rip buyers off.
I still don't believe a single person who bought ASICMiner hardware at ASICMiner prices and mined with it made their investment in bitcoin back. Can you point to a single example of where a buyer of ASICMiner hardware got a good deal and achieved ROI by mining? I can't.
The only reason they lowered their prices of blades and USB miners to more reasonable levels recently (but they are still bitcoin losers in my opinion) is because of exploding difficulty and increased competition.