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Raspberry Pi-based computer built into a keyboard costs $70
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced an all-in-one personal computer based on its low-cost Raspberry Pi 4 board-based computing platform which it launched last year. The new Raspberry Pi 400 computer, which is built into a keyboard, costs $70 and needs only a power supply, monitor cable, and possibly a mouse, to operate.
Recalling the design of the early home computers, users simply plug in a USB-C based power supply, mouse and micro-SD card configured with a suitable operating system, such as Raspberry Pi OS. Alternatively, for $100, they can buy a ready-to-go kit including a power supply, mouse, HDMI cable, 16GB micro-SD card containing Raspberry Pi OS, and a manual.
The Raspberry Pi 400 is based on a quad-core 64-bit processor (an Arm Cortex-A72 CPU running at 1.8GHz), and incorporates 4GB of RAM, 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5 wireless networking, and a dual-display output. There are two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port for peripherals, two micro-HDMI ports that support display resolutions up to 4k, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 40-pin GPIO port that supports Raspberry Pi HAT expansion boards.
The Raspberry Pi 4 platform on which the computer is based is about 40 times more powerful than the original Raspberry Pi and, according to the Foundation, will offer an experience “that is indistinguishable from a legacy PC for the majority of users”. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation says it has seen a rapid increase in the use of Raspberry Pi 4 for home working and studying. “If you’re looking for an affordable PC for day-to-day use this is the Raspberry Pi for you,” it adds.
At launch, the computer is available with English (UK and US), French, Italian, German, and Spanish keyboard layouts. The Foundation plans to support the same languages as its official keyboard. It is rolling out compliance certification so that Raspberry Pi 400 will be available around the world in the first few months of 2021.
The Raspberry Pi 400 will be available from suppliers globally, including Electrocomponents’ Okdo technology subsidiary. “We believe Raspberry Pi 400 will bring all of the strengths of the Raspberry Pi platform and community to an entirely new audience,” says Richard Curtin, Okdo’s senior vice-president of technology. “The convenience of a PC, housed in a keyboard, that requires no self-assembly and is ready to go out-of-the-box removes one the few remaining barriers to adoption for Raspberry Pi.”
To accompany Raspberry Pi 400, the Foundation has released a fourth edition of its Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Guide.
