[lwat]

I don't see why decent ASICs will ever be for sale. It'll be more profitable to run them than to sell them so the manufacturers will keep them.

[pmorici]

Because you need a large capital investment to get an ASIC made. taking pre-orders and selling some is one way to get that cash.

[wmf]

Besides the crowdfunding argument, it may be possible to sell an ASIC miner for more BTC than it will ever generate during its lifetime.

[wisty]

In theory, miners will have a better estimate of BTC future values than the manufacture.

In practice, miners might even be a little generous in their estimates (because they are self-selecting).

And more importantly, the risk is reduced. If BTC tanks, the manufacturer will have already cashed out. If BTC goes up, the manufacture will have lost some potential profits, but will still have made a decent amount.

[lwat]

Yea that's what I'm saying. It wouldn't be worth it unless you have really cheap or free electricity. If you're considering buying ASICs you should be very careful.