In January 2012, The Raspberry Pi Foundation, a UK registered charity foundation will begin production on the Raspberry Pi computer. This mini computer is about the size of two credit cards and won’t hurt your wallet at a price of $25 per computer. You can even acquire the optional model for a paltry $10 more. This model (called the Model B) contains an Ethernet port and 256MB RAM. No Ethernet hardware is found in the Model A which holds 128MB of RAM.
The Raspberry Pi was created as a means to let children play with an affordable computer. One of the trustees from the Raspberry Pi Charitable Foundation observed that students and younger children spend less time learning about programming and more time on other activities. Since the idea’s inception, many other groups have approached the foundation and have expressed interest in using the Raspberry Pi for applications that are outside of its original scope as an educational tool. This new product is sure to be far reaching in developed and developing countries due to its highly competitive price.
($25 Mini PC)
The Raspberry Pi website references that hospitals, museums and agencies have expressed interest in finding new applications for this device due to its highly affordable price point. We may see all sorts of products containing similar architecture in the future since the Raspberry Foundation is encouraging other companies to leverage the idea.
Specifications for the Raspberry Pi:
- Micro USB Power
- RCA Video
- HDMI
- USB 2.0
- SD Card
- Ethernet port (Model B)
- Audio Jack
This mini computer weighs only 45 grams and runs on some versions of Linux, while containing an ARM processor. In the event that you need portability, the device runs well on four AA batteries.
The product will contain exposed computer components. This will help to keep the price down, but it will also encourage owners to tinker around and explore the mechanics of the computer. Though buyers will eventually be able to get a case for the Raspberry Pi, who knows? People may not want them. Personally, I think the future looks bright.
