We’ve been following the Raspberry Pi for quite some time, because how can you not follow the production and retail launch of a $25 fully functional computer? The little guy finally launched today, in the standard $25 model and a somewhat more powerful $35 model, made available at British companies RS Components and Premier Farnell, though as of this post, the sites are experiencing a heavy load and may not load properly. Due to the digital frenzy, the Raspberry Pi sold out in minutes, and users who missed the initial launch period were greeted with pre-order pages, but there’s a bright side to the madness of the Pi: The cheaper $25 model has been given double the amount of RAM at no extra cost, bumped up to 256 megs.
Due to the use of licensed manufacturers, the Raspberry Pis will be built to match demand, rather than, for example, having a specific number of the units built per batch then requiring users to wait. Granted, it won’t feel very different for users if they have to pre-order the things anyway.
Unfortunately, as cheap as the Raspberry Pi is, frugal consumers will note that the Pi still requires everything that attaches to a computer, such as a monitor, mouse, and keyboard — one of those things being expensive for those broke enough to have to buy a $25 computer. For those who have a bit of disposable income, however, the Raspberry Pi can be a pretty fun little toy, especially if you have a monitor lying around.
Keep checking with either retailer if you’re in the market for one, as the pages should become more stable as the day goes on. If anything, the Raspberry Pi could be a great complement to your television, assuming you have the appropriate hookups.
(via Raspberry Pi)
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