The $5 computer that can change the world

Zach Epstein

November 26, 2015 at 12:11 PM

The world collectively dropped its jaw when the Raspberry Pi was first unveiled. A $35 computer that could be used to power just about anything? Yes, please. Then the even more capable Raspberry Pi 2 came along and earlier models dropped to as low as $20, which is staggering considering the doors that could still be opened by such a capable device.

But now, the unthinkable has happened: The UK-based Raspberry Pi Foundation has unveiled a brand new computer that can be purchased for just $5.

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Meet the Raspberry Pi Zero, a tiny little computer with great big ambitions. Here are the key details:

A Broadcom BCM2835 application processor
- 1GHz ARM11 core (40% faster than Raspberry Pi 1)
512MB of LPDDR2 SDRAM
A micro-SD card slot
A mini-HDMI socket for 1080p60 video output
Micro-USB sockets for data and power
An unpopulated 40-pin GPIO header
- Identical pinout to Model A+/B+/2B
An unpopulated composite video header
Our smallest ever form factor, at 65mm x 30mm x 5mm

The Pi Zero has big implications in both the developed and developing world. Entrepreneurs now have ostensibly no barrier to entry when seeking to develop and build new hardware, and new, lower cost hardware can be built in an effort to bring more affordable products to developing nations.

Raspbarry Pi’s new $5 computer is available for sale beginning immediately in the U.K. and U.S., but the company has only built “several tens of thousands” of units so far and they’ll all likely be sold out today. More units are on the way, however, and Raspberry Pi has partnered with element14, The Pi Hut and Pimoroni in the U.K. and Adafruit and Micro Center in the U.S. to sell the Pi Zero.

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The $5 computer that can change the world