The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the release of the Raspberry Pi 2, the next generation of the popular tiny computer. A little bigger than its predecessors, the Pi 2 measures 85.60 mm x 56.5 mm and weighs 1.6 ounces, but the big changes are its processor and memory.
For the past two years, all current models of the Raspberry Pi used Broadcom's BCM2835 SoC coupled with an ARM11 processor running at 700 MHz. The Raspberry Pi 2 received an upgrade in both areas and now features Broadcom's latest SoC, the BCM2836, and the company replaced the ARM11 processor with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor running at 900 MHz, which it claims provides six times the performance compared to the ARM11. Memory has also been upgraded to a 1 GB LPDDR2 SDRAM.
With a more powerful processor, the Pi 2 can run Ubuntu, but it also has the ability to support Windows 10. The company has been working with Microsoft for the past six months to create a compatible version of the new operating system, and it will be free to Raspberry Pi makers.
Even with an upgraded processor and memory, the Pi 2 is still compatible with the original Pi. The form factors are identical, the layouts and inputs are still the same, and both boards can run on the 5V micro-USB power adapter. The Raspberry Pi 2 will cost you $35, the same price as the Model B+. While the Pi 1 features two models, the A+ and B+, the company stated it has no plans to release a Model A version of the Pi 2 before the end of the year.
Raspberry will continue to produce and support the Pi 1 models, but it's very clear that it's pushing old and new customers to the Pi 2, which should give a little more room for developers with a more powerful processor and more memory.
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