iSeries i5 Machines Withdrawn from Marketing

If you are interested in getting an iSeries i5 machine, you better do it before June 1, because after that, IBM will stop making and selling them. Last week, IBM withdrew the first generation of Power5 machines from marketing, and the last day you can order one of these boxes from IBM is May 30. That gives these Power5 machines an economic life of about two years. IBM is also removing from marketing the OS/400 Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, HA Edition, Solution Edition, and Domino Edition variants of these boxes. Processors for these machines will also be discontinued.

IBM’s withdrawal from marketing of the Power5 machines and its reliance on sales of Power5+ models does not mean that Power5-based machines will not be available through the reseller channel and used equipment dealers. Resellers will have stocks of the original iSeries i5 machines around for a while, and dealers will get their hands on them for many years to come. Machines that are five or six years old are still available on the second-hand market, as has been the case for as long as anyone can remember in the IBM midrange.