The Raspberry Pi Foundation has unwrapped a new mini programmable computer which will cost only $5. Dubbed the Pi Zero, it is the organization's smallest computer to date.
The Pi Zero may be tiny but don't get duped by its diminutive size as it packs in plenty of power, as well as components that can give other offerings from the Pi lineup a run for their money. The Pi Zero is half of the Model A+, but offers two times the power.
Raspberry Pi unveiled the Pi Zero on Thursday, Nov. 26, and the mini computer is now available for purchase in the UK and the United States.
"Today, I'm pleased to be able to announce the immediate availability of Raspberry Pi Zero, made in Wales and priced at just $5. Zero is a full-fledged member of the Raspberry Pi family," noted Eben Upton, the company's founder.
While the $5 price point sounds attractive enough, the specs hint at what the Pi Zero is capable of. The mini computer has a Broadcom BCM2835 application processor clocked at 1GHz and 512MB of RAM. This processor is nearly 40 percent quicker than the one on the Raspberry Pi 1.
It also has a microSD card slot, micro USB sockets for power and data and a mini-HDMI socket for HD video output 1080p, 60 frames per second.
The Pi Zero measures 65mm x 30mm x 5mm (2.56 x 1.18 x 0.20 inches) and has an unpopulated composite video header, and unpopulated 40-pin GPIO header and identical pinout to Model A+/B+/2B.
The Raspberry Pi Zero runs on the Raspbian operating system. Upton revealed that several units have been built and the organization is producing more. However, it expects that demand will far outnumber the supply.
Interested programmers in the United States can purchase the Pi Zero from Micro Center or Adafruit. Consumers in the UK can snag it from Pimoroni, element14 or The Pi Hut.
Ordering the December copy of Raspberry Pi's official magazine, The MagPi, will get you the Pi Zero as a free gift.
