[Eisenstein]

RPis are used as embedded controllers and such instead of a custom solution, which is why they are so hard to get right now -- many companies based their products on them when they were plentiful and now get priority over end-users for distribution. It is (or was) kind of a scandal as RPi's self-mandate was to provide cheap computing devices for learning, not for businesses to make products.

[monocasa]

I've heard a rumor too that the rpi foundation is having a legal spat about that part with Broadcom right now too. Broadcom is pissed that their chips they were using as a tax right off are being sold for profit. That's why you can get RP2040 boards like the Pico no problem; they don't contain Broadcom IP blocks.

[bmitc]

Ahh, that's interesting. I have been wondering why their newest product and design was the most (and only) readily available one.

[nsteel]

The difference in availability is certainly related to Brcm's involvement but that could just as easily be Brcm's capacity problem, rather than a spat for which there's no official word on (and it makes no difference to consumers anyway).