I feel as if AMD is becoming a form of Intel. What I mean by this is that Intel releases a new socket for every new cpu release, which means you have to either upgrade to an older generation of cpu or upgrade both the cpu and mobo. AMD is doing this which really is getting on my nerves. Just last November they released socket FM2+ and now they are using AM1? Which means if I want to upgrade my APU system I have to buy a older higher end APU or upgrade the motherboard as well. I told my brother AMD was the way to go for compatibility. I told him Intel if you wish to upgrade down the line would be much more expensive. I know from personal experience. I bought a AM2/3 board back in 2009 and their cpus are supported by it. AMD has been known to have good forward and backwards comparability. Which is another reason they are better bang for your buck. My older mobo supports the first gen of phenom (a old 9850) and was upgraded to a 1090t. It could run my 8320, but I am using the sabertooth 990fx for that.
To AMD,
If you are planning on releasing a new socket instead of an upgraded version of an old one then I am going to switch to intel, because they are better at actual cpu enhancements. I really liked that I could use an older cpu on a newer board and vice versa. Essentially you used a socket from 2005/6 (940/939) all the way up until now (AM3+). I enjoy how it is AM2 and then AM2+ and then AM3 and 3+. Some motherboards via bios flash allowed for an AM3 cpu to work on an AM2 mobo, as I have mentioned earlier in this post. Anyways, I don't appriciate paying 100 dollars for a higher end FM2+ board when it was released less than year ago (november 2013) and has already been replaced. As I was writing this I just thought to myself, what if AM1 is supposed to be a lower end product. It appears to be much lower end. If this is the plan for the near future then keep it as thus and continue to support AM2+ until 2016 please.
I got a 5800k for my brothers build when it was on sale for 80 which was and is a steal. I told him he would be able to get an even better APU within a year or two. That was an assumption that you are still the AMD that made sockets AM2 - 3+. You still are upgrading cpus for AM3+, so I would assume you would do the same for FM2+ and the rest of your APU line up. I hope you dont start producing higher end APUs any time soon for AM1, higher than the ones for FM2+ and prior.