Pi 400 Launch
During the first week of November 2020, Raspberry Pi announced the launch of its latest innovation: Raspberry Pi 400, which houses all the functionality of a desktop computer inside a compact keyboard.
According to Eben Upton (a founder and former trustee of the Raspberry Pi Foundation and now CEO of Raspberry Pi Ltd.), the organization has always been inspired by the mission to build affordable, high-performing, programmable computers and make them accessible to people all around the globe. The Raspberry Pi 400 is the latest development toward this goal – it integrates a faster 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 into just a tiny keyboard at a price point cheaper than most less-functional laptops.
New Design
Part of the beauty of the new Raspberry Pi 400 is its minimalist simplicity. As Raspberry Pi senior engineer Simon Martin explained in a recent post, the Raspberry Pi 400 has been over four years in the making, with a major challenge being how to integrate a keyboard and mouse with a Raspberry Pi processor so that users could have an easy out-of-the-box, ready-to-go experience.
Although the team had worked toward a solution for Raspberry Pi 3, by the time it was ready they realized it would be best to wait for the release of Raspberry Pi 4, as this would make possible a much faster and more powerful computing experience.
Technical Details
In fact, the Raspberry Pi 400 is a Raspberry Pi 4 unit but with a cutting-edge new PCB design. The Raspberry Pi 400 has the same circuit layout as Raspberry Pi 4 for processing, memory and power management, but the operating point has been adjusted up to 1.8GHz.
Also, there's a new cooling mechanism that dissipates heat across the entire unit so that no part will get too hot to the touch. There's also a new on/off button – the first of its kind for the Raspberry Pi product line.
Full Pi 400 Kit
If you'll be using the Raspberry Pi 400 as a replacement for your current computer (or as a new computer), you probably want the full Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit, which comes with everything you need to have a complete PC experience straight out of the box. All you need is a monitor or TV.
The full kit comes with:
- An official Raspberry Pi 400 computer with your choice of six keyboards based on your preferred language (US English, UK English, Spanish, French, Italian, or German - additional keyboard layouts are in the works!)
- An official Raspberry Pi mouse, designed to complement the keyboard/computer
- A Raspberry Pi USB-C DC power supply (available for compliance with different region requirements)
- An SD card (pre-installed in the unit with the latest software release) and also a "jewel box" to store the card
- One micro HDMI to HDMI cable
- The latest Raspberry Pi Beginner's Guide book (fourth edition), providing setup instructions and several projects of increasing complexity so you can start to develop your programming skills
The full kit would make a great holiday gift for someone who needs a new computer or who is just getting started with Raspberry Pi. If you're an advanced user who already owns all the peripheral equipment, you can also buy just the keyboard/computer on its own for a reduced price.