Raspberry Pi hits general availability: order as many as you like

The Raspberry Pi computer has been in short supply since it first hit the production lines a few months ago. But now the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s two manufacturing partners have stepped up production, and 4,000 units are being produced every day.

So the group is removing ordering restrictions. Previously orders were limited to one per customer. Now you can order as many as you want.

Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive, low power computer designed for use in educational settings. It has a 700 MHz ARM11 processor, SD card slot, HDMI, USB, and Ethernet ports.  Perhaps most importantly, it costs just $35.

Another model without some of those ports will be available soon for $25.

You don’t get a lot of computer for that price. There are plenty of faster systems round — including many with ARM-based processors. At this point the Raspberry Pi doesn’t even include a case. It’s just an exposed system board.

But the little computer can run a range of Linu-xbased operating systems, it can handle classic video gaming duties, and you can even turn it into an inexpensive laptop by pairing it with a Motorola Laptop Dock or similar device.

It also provides a low-cost way for teachers to help students learn to use computers, write code, or use office and internet applications. That was actually one of the main goals from the get-go, but the Pi has caught on with hobbyists interested in a cheap, low power computing platform.

The removal of ordering restrictions is an important step in making the Raspberry Pi available in schools or businesses, where it clearly makes sense to have more than one device on-hand.

You can place orders for the Raspberry Pi from RS Components or element14/Premier Farnell. If you plan to order more than 10 units, you can get a quote from element14 by emailing [email protected]