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Is The Cost Of $25 Raspberry Pi Its Biggest Advantage Or Disadvantage?
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Eben Upton, executive director, Raspberry Pi Foundation, believes that the cost of the device is its biggest advantage. But he goes on to accept that he could have added more features had the cost been not a constraint.
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Wednesday, September 05, 2012:
When the makers of Raspberry Pi thought of making a low-cost computing device, they began by fixing a price point. They decided that they would make a sub-$25 programming device, which will be affordable for students across the world. And they ended up with Raspberry Pi.
Eben Upton, executive director, Raspberry Pi Foundation, believes that the cost of the device is its biggest advantage. But he goes on to accept that he could have added more features had the cost been not a restraint.
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Speaking to EFYTimes.com, he said, “Frankly we were very driven by cost. Given that we were driven by cost, we couldn't add so much in the device and that allowed us to make a small device. Also, making a small device reduces the cost because the PCB is smaller and cheaper. If the PCB is smaller, the manufacturing capacity also increases. So, if you could manufacture one large computer at a given time in a panel, you can make 10 pieces like that of the Raspberry Pi in a panel. This reduces the manufacturing cost in a big way. We wanted to make a product and driver with an emphasis on low-cost. Linux was chosen for the same reason. Linux was the most cost-friendly option. If I was to design a $400 PC, I could have justified a Windows license costing $50. But we were making a PC worth just $25, we could have not justified that. More importantly, Linux solves the purpose of making a machine better. An operating system is to make the user understand how the machine works. With the availability of the source code, Linux solves the purpose better. Linux is free- both from cost and source code. This freedom is really important from the education stand point.”
If Upton and his team had an option, they would have chosen to add a couple of more features to the device. Upton confesses, “If I am to make a slightly expensive device, I would love to add a few more features to it. The first feature is Wi-Fi. I think that can increase the popularity of the device. Rest of it, I think Raspberry Pi is a good package as compared to the others. We have good interfacing capabilities. It can have good accelerated multimedia capabilities which many of these devices offer. One thing that I really find missing in Raspberry Pi is camera. If I ever go for a new interface, I would add a camera to it for sure.”
Raspberry pi has become a rage because of its cost. But a few more bucks could have meant a good value-add to the device. What do you think? Should the makers come up with a better version with some more features and an added cost? Please let us know through your comments.
Diksha P Gupta, EFYTIMES News Network
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