Raspberry Pi: An Entry-Level Computer for $35

Credit card-sized device can run Windows 10.

ByABC News
February 2, 2015, 1:33 PM
A look at the $35 computer from Raspberry Pi 2.
A look at the $35 computer from Raspberry Pi 2.
Raspberry Pi 2

— -- Get ready to geek out -- on the cheap.

Beyond its delicious name, the new Raspberry Pi 2 computer is a more powerful version of its predecessor and boasts the same $35 price tag that makes it accessible to do-it-yourself computer fans looking for their next project.

The bare bones desktop system can plug into a monitor and keyboard as well as be used for a variety of digital maker projects.

The latest iteration of the credit card-sized device was unveiled today by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and includes six times the processing power and Windows 10 support -- something the Raspberry Pi Foundation said it's been working on for the past six months.

"The Raspberry Pi 2-compatible version of Windows 10 will be available free of charge to makers," the charity, which promotes computer science literacy in schools, said in a blog post.

Microsoft wrote that a partnership with the do-it-yourself community seemed like a natural fit.

"We see the Maker community as an amazing source of innovation for smart, connected devices that represent the very foundation for the next wave of computing, and we’re excited to be a part of this community," the technology giant wrote in a blog post.

Along with the increased performance, the newer model also comes with twice as much memory. The U.K.-based Raspberry Pi Foundation said it will continue to sell older boards but explained why it felt a super-powered update was necessary.

"There comes a point when there's no substitute for more memory and CPU performance," the group said in a blog post. "Our challenge was to figure out how to get this without throwing away our investment in the platform or spoiling all those projects and tutorials which rely on the precise details of the Raspberry Pi hardware."