> You can get a more powerful PC on Amazon for less.
I'm not sure that really matters. It's well known that most people are not "homo economicus" rational / optimizing agents seeking to min/max every purchase decision. A lot of other factors go into purchases, and name recognition, brand loyalty, and general goodwill count for a lot with most people. Of course there are eventual limits to that, and any brand can be displaced if they are too cavalier with regards to meeting consumer needs. But in this case, I strongly suspect the people that want a Raspberry Pi 500+ are the people that want a Raspberry Pi 500+ and that's the end of it. They're not going to buy the competing product because it's $20 cheaper.
Also, something Jeff has pointed out in his videos on many occasions, as I recall: don't underestimate the importance of the associated software (eg, a working, supported OS with usable drivers that work on the device) as well as the community (support forums, etc) and the overall ecosystem (supported / trusted add-ons, mods, etc). To a lot of people it's that stuff that keeps them coming back to the RPi brand.
I'm not sure that really matters. It's well known that most people are not "homo economicus" rational / optimizing agents seeking to min/max every purchase decision. A lot of other factors go into purchases, and name recognition, brand loyalty, and general goodwill count for a lot with most people. Of course there are eventual limits to that, and any brand can be displaced if they are too cavalier with regards to meeting consumer needs. But in this case, I strongly suspect the people that want a Raspberry Pi 500+ are the people that want a Raspberry Pi 500+ and that's the end of it. They're not going to buy the competing product because it's $20 cheaper.
Also, something Jeff has pointed out in his videos on many occasions, as I recall: don't underestimate the importance of the associated software (eg, a working, supported OS with usable drivers that work on the device) as well as the community (support forums, etc) and the overall ecosystem (supported / trusted add-ons, mods, etc). To a lot of people it's that stuff that keeps them coming back to the RPi brand.