New Rasberry Pi puts the ‘micro’ in microcomputer

New Rasberry Pi puts the ‘micro’ in microcomputer

The new programmable microcomputer can be owned for less than the price of four Starbucks coffees

Rasberry Pi’s newest A+ model has finally arrived, and it is even tinier and cheaper than ever.  According to a CNET review, the new device measures 65mm in length, over 2omm less than the old Model A. It also consumers significantly less power. And with a $20 price tag, the programmable microcomputer can be owned for less than the price of four Starbucks coffees.

“When we announced Raspberry Pi back in 2011, the idea of producing an ‘ARM GNU/Linux box for $25’ seemed ambitious,” said Rasberry Pi founder Eben Upton in a blog post. “So it’s pretty mind-bending to be able to knock another $5 off the cost while continuing to build it here in the UK, at the same Sony factory in South Wales we use to manufacture the Model B+.”

Like the older Model A, the new A+ uses a BCM2835 application processor and has 256MB RAM. But the device also incorporates several features of the fancier, and more costly, Model B+, including more GPIO (40 pins), a push-push micro SD card, and a more advanced audio circuit with a dedicated low-noise power supply.

“It’s bumping up against the limits of how much you can build a significantly high-tech product for and not have people lose money in the process,” Upton told Raspi Today.

Introduced in 2011, the makers of the Raspberry Pi aimed to strip a computer down to its most basic elements. The device provides only a simple, bare-bones circuit board that can produce 1080p video, and be hooked up to a monitor and other peripherals. The Rasberry Pi can be used to control everything from Home Theater PCs to advanced home automation systems.

 

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