I'm gonna buy one, because I'm quite used to spending $1k on computers .. been doing it for decades .. and this machine is the kind of machine I'd rather be spending my next $1k on, than say, the current commercial crop.
So I hope this won't be the first rev, and that I look back in 2 years or so and go 'well, time to upgrade it' .. this would be an economic as well as practically good investment. You know, like any computer you might purchase ..
Won't happen. It's a dev board, not a computer like you'd purchase. If you come in expecting a computer instead of a sort-of-not-broken work in progress, you're setting yourself up for regret.
The RISC-V community is trying to make real useful practical computer. The next revision of this board would be something that is of practical use. There is lots of practical things you can do with it alrady, it has a networking. Maybe not the cheapes option but still useful.