The new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is now officially available for purchase, packing a more powerful processor and twice the RAM of its predecessor.
The original Raspberry Pi mini PC made its debut back in 2012 and quickly became a smashing hit, serving several purposes including teaching kids how to code. Nearly three years later, the company has now taken things to the next level, launching a neat successor to the previous model.
Called the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, the new iteration retains the affordable $35 price tag, but packs a notably more powerful quad-core processor and double the RAM of its predecessor.
More specifically, the new model comes with an ARM Cortex-A7 CPU clocked at 900MHz and paired with 1GB of RAM. Just like the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+, the new iteration comes with the same four USB ports, 40 GPIO pins, full HDMI port, Ethernet port, microSD card slot, combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video, camera interface (CSI), display interface (DSI), and VideoCore IB 3D graphics core.
Due to its increased computing power, however, the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B should allow for more applications, thus offering more opportunities. The highly-affordable $35 price tag, meanwhile, means it will still be a great match for schools.
"Because it has an ARMv7 processor, it can run the full range of ARM GNU/Linux distributions, including Snappy Ubuntu Core, as well as Microsoft Windows 10," touts the company. "The Raspberry Pi 2 has an identical form factor to the previous (Pi 1) Model B+ and has complete compatibility with Raspberry Pi 1."
"We recommend the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B for use in schools: it offers more flexibility for learners than the leaner (Pi 1) Model A+, which is more useful for embedded projects and projects which require very low power."
Moreover, a Windows 10 version compatible with the Raspberry Pi 2 will also be available to makers, completely free of charge.
The Raspberry Pi 2 Model B has already gone on sale on Monday, Feb. 2, available at $35 from element14 and RS Components. For more information regarding the new-generation Raspberry Pi and its capabilities, head over to the company's blog at this link.
