Re:
It does seem to be the new business model from Hope, the Henry Ford approach, "any colour as long as it's black (or purple!)". Can't say I'm best pleased about it but what can you do?
As for the competition to win the blue ones, I'm all over it..! for now, I'll save some money and just upgrade to XT discs (though Hope do certainly have the prettiest setup, I love the intricate machining on everything).