The Genesi unit is aimed at developing nations not the hobbyist market so it is understandable they have no interest in the hobbyist market. The Genesi unit is a complete computer inside a case, the price is reasonable when taking this into account. Nevertheless they are sold out of the A8 unit forever, a new A9 unit will be coming out in the next little bit for approximately the same price.
As a general usage computer the new unit will easily spank the Pi & Via offerings due to the nature of the improved A9 chip. Whether or not the graphics chip is up to par on the new unit will be as good as the Pi's is another matter, but with it being designed to run a Linux distro optimized for schools in developing nations it is likely the video chip is an afterthought.
Perhaps you've got a point, the Genesi machine may be aimed at the third world. If so, its not aimed well. A laptop with an integrated display makes more sense. I can buy an Intel Atom based laptop for about what the Genesi system would cost when a basic monitor, keyboard, and mouse are incorporated. And, instead of running Linux, I can run Windows.
And, for us in the hobbyist market, leave it to Genesi to move from the A8 to the A9 as the market prepares to move from the A9 to the A15.
