DRU500A... Has it even shipped????

[necrosis]

Ive checked about 14 online stores (even sony themsleves!) and they are all out of stock! Has Sony even started shipping this unit? I was under the impression that it came out in October 2002. Or is this drive so popular that its sold out over the holiday season?

[BuddhaTB]

Or is this drive so popular that its sold out over the holiday season?

The drive was shipping in November and December but it's ultimately sold out due to a shortage of drives.

Here's two online stores that have the Sony DRU-500A in stock at the time of this post. However, I've never purchased any items from either place so I would check out their reseller ratings first before ordering.
http://www.myinfinity.com/eshop/itemdes ... SONDRU500A

http://www.enpc.com/cgi-bin/enpc/DRU500 ... d=hAfLx2aq

Reseller Ratings

[aznsound]

you can also check Best Buy, Circuit City, and CompUSA websites... they tell you if stores close to you have things in stock...

[lightningbaron]

Best Buy had a very limited supply in store, I saw one at another Best Buy store a couple of weeks ago, but didn't buy back then. I had to make multiple trips to one Best Buy store and found only 1 unit in stock finally this afternoon. Picked up the DRX-500UL off the shelf, some guy asked me "where did you get the drive?", I pointed "over there, it was the only one and the last one". Feel sorry for the guy, because he called the store and they quoted him that they had a few. Even buy.com has been saying "Back Order" for the longest time.

Best Buy sells it for $429.99 (retail price), I took advantage of a 10% off coupon from December 2002 issue of PC World (which expires on Jan-31-2003), which knocked the price down to $387 (before sales tax).

[necrosis]

Heh, wish I would get that luckey at my best buy. My only issue now is that none of the locat stores carry DVD-R, EVERYTHING is DVD+R which i personally couldent give a crap about.

[skriefal]

Heh, wish I would get that luckey at my best buy.

Yeah, Best Buy has carried the DRU500A for a while now -- but unfortunately they usually don't have any in stock. I got lucky and saw one on the shelves a couple months ago and bought it right away. Since then, I've only seen one other DRU500A and one DRX-500UL at any of the local BB stores. They're in very short supply...

[bobmitchell]

I waited for over a month for Best Buy to get them. Then, just haphazzardly...I stumbled into an Office Depot. They have them, and usually 4-5 in stock, for $379. Just tell them to price Match Best Buy or CompUSA and they will do it. I have been happily burning while everyone complains at Best Buy, because they never have them.

Bob