Raspberry Pi has announced a cheaper and smaller version of its hugely successful credit card-sized computer.
Developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the computer is popular in an educational setting and about 3.8 million boards had been sold so far.
The device launched in 2011 and originally came in two versions, Model A and the more powerful Model B. Last July, the Foundation announced the arrival of the Model B+, while revealing it was working on a "lower cost variant, analogous to the original Model A".
Like the Model A, the new Model A+ uses the BCM2835 application processor and has 256MB RAM, but it is significantly smaller (65mm in length, versus 86mm for the Model A) and consumes less power.
The new Model A+, which will cost just $20, also inherits many of the improvements made to the Model B+, including the replacement of a friction-fit SD card socket with a push-push micro SD version
The audio circuit incorporates a dedicated low-noise power supply, which should provide better audio. The Model A+ is also compatible with the HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) standard for add-on circuit boards.
"When we announced Raspberry Pi back in 2011, the idea of producing an ‘ARM GNU/Linux box for $25’ seemed ambitious, 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," said Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi founder and chief executive of Raspberry Pi’s engineering team in a blog posting.
