$25 Raspberry Pi Goes On Sale in the U.S.
Model A is cheaper and consumes less power than the Model B.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced that the Model A version of Raspberry Pi is now available for purchase in the United States. The Model A is a stripped down version of the Model B Raspberry Pi, featuring one USB port, 256 MB RAM and omits the Ethernet connectivity present in the Model B.
Of course, the fact that it's a stripped down Model B means it's also cheaper. At $25, the Model A will retail for $10 less than the Model B; it also consumes less power. According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, you're looking at roughly one third of the power that the Model B consumes. What's more, the Raspberry Pi crew says they're working to get power consumption even lower than that.
The Model A was released in Europe back in early February 2013. At the time, the Raspberry Pi Foundation said we'd have to wait a while for U.S. availability. The Raspberry Pi Foundation told TechCrunch this past weekend that the Model A was now available to those in the U.S. market. If you're planning to get one, you can visit reseller Allied Electronics.
Talking about the Model A back in November 2012, RPF's Liz Upton said they're expecting that those buying the Model A will have different applications for the board compared to Model B owners.
"We’re anticipating that those of you who buy the Model A will be using it for different applications from Model B owners. Model A has no Ethernet and only one USB slot – and importantly, it consumes much less power than a Model B because the Ethernet chip’s missing," she said. "We're seeing demand for the Model A from people making industrial control modules, from roboticists, from people doing automation, for a bunch of headless operations – and, significantly, for people who want to use the Pi as a very cheap media centre."
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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Spac3nerd Too bad that many of them will end up in the hands of resellers which will then attempt to sell them for $40 on Amazon.Reply -
amdwilliam1985 I want to create decided HTPC based on this low-powered cheap Raspberry Pi Model A, Raspberry Pi foundation should help and put out more guides.Reply
At this point, it is very price friendly, but I just don't know what to do with it.
Yes, I lack imagination. -
thermopyle dark_lord69I think it'd be nicer if it had WiFi...Yeah, not sure what you'd do with it without both wifi and a way to control with keyboard/mouse/remote. Possibly get a USB stick that has both wifi and BT functionality, but otherwise...?Reply -
cyrusfox dark_lord69I think it'd be nicer if it had WiFi...You can add wifi, or ethernet, heck the Ethernet chip on model b ran through the usb. All you need is a usb hub and a usb wifi stick and your good to go.Reply
Thinking about getting these for my nephews, wondering if anyone has created a basic computer science guide to go along with it. I know I would pony up some cash for that.
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Non-Euclidean Getting Started with Raspberry PiReply
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920023371.do
Raspberry Pi Hacks
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920029083.do -
cyrusfox Non-EuclideanGetting Started with Raspberry Pi http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920023371.doRaspberry Pi Hackshttp://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920029083.doNice, the second one isn't even released yet, I think I may pick up the first guide you listed and run through it myself. So far from the preview it looks like it has a good balance between easy introductory material and hardcore CS goodness.Reply -
jefferzbooboo thermopyleYeah, not sure what you'd do with it without both wifi and a way to control with keyboard/mouse/remote. Possibly get a USB stick that has both wifi and BT functionality, but otherwise...?Reply
I have the Model B 1rst revision. I use a 4 port powered USB hub, you can use a cable from the hub to power the Pi, and the other 3 slots on the hub work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GFGOANSZ-4