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zvrba

Maybe I'm clueless, but why would you order one if you already have a PC?

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Why would you get a smartphone if you already have a PC?

Why would you get an iPad if you already have a PC?

Why would you get a games console if you already have a PC?

Why would you get a media centre if you already have a PC?

Why would you get a second PC if you already have a PC?

It's a credit card sized computer that can run Linux, has got graphics+display out, and a few programmable I/O pins. If you're a hacker and let your imagination run wild, only the sky is the limit what this baby can do :) This could probably power lots of interesting household hacks or hobby projects.

Because you want a teeny tiny Arm development board? Because you want to make a fanless media server? Because you want to learn programming and your elder brother is hogging the PC surfing for whatever teenage boys surf for?

So it's a minicomputer without the disk, keyboard, mouse, screen, and speakers, which quickly adds up to $250 with cheapest components if you want to use it as a general-purpose computer.

At the same time, it runs linux and the same linux distro runs also in qemu, so you can do most of the develompent without actual hardware. So where's the rush, why does everybody have to get it right now?

Really, can't you think of any use for a powerful, small, dirt cheap ARM computer?

I'm not sure why there's such a rush. It's a really neat device. I haven't been excited by a gadget for a few years, and this is quite exciting. But I'm happy to wait for some months before I get one.

I guess there's some kudos or cachet or whatnot tied up with owning one of the first batch; with being one of the first 10,000 people to have blogs up about programming the device.

No. $250 is ridiculous, even for buying everything new. I just spent 2 minutes googling:

  Amazon Class Class 10 8 GB SD Card: $9
  Best Buy 20" LCD: $90
  Keyboard: $15
  Mouse: $7.54
  Speakers: $10.54
  Total: $132.08

If you go to your local thriftstore, you could get all of these for <$50. Not sure if you have ever been a poor kid or not, but take it from me, this computer WILL bring computing to kids who would not otherwise have access.

As a former middle class kid at rather pricey private schools... will bring computing to plenty of kids whose families could afford much more, too.

OK, living in Norway, prices are "somewhat" higher. On the website of a popular computer-shop (digitalimpuls.no), the cheapest screen I found was Iiyama LCD 24" for 1100 NOK =~ 200 USD. (All other screens, also smaller, were more expensive.)

Ah ok. That makes sense. As an American, I take it as my god-given right to jump to conclusions based on American conditions ;)

I also had the thought that at many American schools/libraraies I bet you could find a sympathetic IT guy to give ya some old parts that are on their way to the scrap yard. And I know of at least one computer non-profit recycler in my city that would hook kids up.

Point is, the peripherals of computers, including monitors to a certain extent, are abundant. Tiny, relatively fast computers capable of putting out 1080p are not.... Or I guess I should say weren't!

The intent is that it's a hackable little computer that you can plug into the monitor/tv/keyboard/peripheral you already have. Then you can experiment with programming or Linux internals or minimum viable products or whatever using a less than 50€ computer without the risk of turning your expensive need-to-do-day-job computer into a brick.

It is not supposed to be a customer item sold to be used as the only computer someone uses. It does not even have a power supply or a casing around the circuit board!

And it certainly isn't a minicomputer like the PDP-11 was :)

Baby monitor?

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