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C.H.I.P. – Raspberry Pi competitor
- avodonosov 11y agoI like the pencil stand. Any more info about the platform? (Processor, memory size, OS, API)
- Gys 11y ago1GHz R8 ARM processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of NAND storage, and WiFi and Bluetooth built-in, 4.2 Linux kernel (also joined Linux Foundation)
- avodonosov 11y agoAh, $9 is just a chip, not a pocket chip. What is the pocket chip price?
- Gys 11y agoIts $9 for the board, like you would a Pi board. But then you need stuff like power and maybe keyboard, screen, etc.
- mnw21cam 11y ago$49, as stated on the kickstarter page.
- baseballmerpeak 11y ago$40. Chip with Pocket Chip was $49 as part of their Kickstarter campaign.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- zzzaim 11y agoFYI, its Kickstarter page has lots more information than "CHIP does computer things" :) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-worlds-first-9-computer/description https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-wor...
- baldfat 11y agoPersonally I prefer the orginal Raspberry Pi due to two things. 1) It is a non-profit that has done things I am happy about. 2) It is kind of a standard which allows the sharing of code and parts very easy. My money goes to Raspberry Pi because it is good at what it does and I like the company.
- Gys 11y agoGood points, but what I like is the C.H.I.P. is VERY open: http://makezine.com/2015/07/22/with-linux-and-creative-commons-the-9-chip-computer-reveals-its-open-source-details/ http://makezine.com/2015/07/22/with-linux-and-creative-commo...
- userbinator 11y agoIndeed, still no sign of Broadcom releasing the full datasheets for RPi's SoCs... AllWinner on the other hand has been far more open with that.
- rjsw 11y agoIs there a clear winner in this ranking ? Broadcom have released some documentation on the RPi's GPU while AllWinner have used 3rd party IP that they can't document ({Mali,PowerVR} and Ethernet).
- makomk 11y agoArguably there is - you can boot these AllWinner chips using entirely open source code, whereas you need a binary blob to boot the Pi at all and the license agreement forbids you from using it on non-Pi Broadcom hardware. Also, the USB interface on the Pi is third party IP from Synopsis that - last time I checked - they can't document, it's incredibly buggy, and Ethernet goes through it too. (Whereas the AllWinner USB host interface is standard EHCI, just like an ordinary PC.)
- userbinator 11y ago
- joosters 11y agoI've got a great idea, guys! Let's create a web page for our product, but put absolutely NO information about it on there. After all, who needs to know anything about it? All we need is a 'pre-order' button that, when pressed, pops up a message telling you that pre-orders don't exist!
- deadmik3 11y agoThere is a lot more information on their kickstarter page. I imagine they're trying to drive people there, since that's how they're getting funding.
- joosters 11y agoYes, they are driving people there by putting a 'funded by kickstarter!' logo on the page, non-clickable of course. Even the top-right link to Kickstarter just takes you to KS updates, rather than to the project details... Seriously, how many people do they expect to visit this site, and from the meagre content on it, decide to pre-order?
- deadmik3 11y agoThe site could be better but it's not terrible. They have $2 million so must be doing something right
- joezydeco 11y agoIt's also really deceiving to put that Gameboy-like button slab and LCD on the web page when what you are really getting is the tiny CPU board at the bottom.
- dopamean 11y agoThat is pretty deceiving. Having not previously heard of this thing and only looking at the page linked here I thought for $9 you'd get the thing with a screen and buttons. There's even an arrow pointing at it.
- 11y ago
- deadmik3 11y agoI'm working on a raspberry pi project right now that would be MUCH better with this. Built-in wifi and bluetooth, battery power, it's a lot smaller... I want this now
- mkesper 11y agoThere are some alternatives to the Pi, have a look at olimex.com (very open) or hardkernel.com. https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/open-source-hardware https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/open-source-hardwa...
- deadmik3 11y agoI see that one is 30 EUR, since I'm in the US it would probably not be so cost efficient. The open sourcing is great, though. The main bonus I get from this CHIP thing is the ridiculously cheap cost for what it gives you. At the very least, the built-in storage and wifi saves at least $15 and some physical space. That's awesome
- tyingq 11y agoI was, at first, amazed at the price point. Olimex, who are in a position to know, says that the BOM for this adds up to more than $20. https://olimex.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/how-to-get-in-the-news-tell-people-that-you-will-make-and-sell-something-which-cost-you-20-for-9/ https://olimex.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/how-to-get-in-the-ne... So, it's basically a marketing ploy, which is still cool, but they will have to find some way to make up the difference post launch.
- MCRed 11y agoThe real money in electronics is in accessories. People will pay $25 for a Raspberry Pi and fret each additional dollar, then turn around and pay $20 for a injection molded case for it. If their strategy is to sell accessories then they $9 could be subsidized in that way. If you're like me, the $9 gets you in the door, then you load up your cart with everything you want and start thinking about the total price at around $100. Under $100 I think the typical "has a day job at a startup" technologist is not going to think twice. They just need to have enough compelling components to get the total order amounts up there.
- tyingq 11y agoAssuming they manage to avoid 3rd parties cloning accessories and undercutting on price. That seems to be the pattern in this market.
- rogeryu 11y ago> The real money in electronics is in accessories. People will pay $25 for a Raspberry Pi and fret each additional dollar, then turn around and pay $20 for a injection molded case for it. This may be true, but then you should make sure they buy them at your store. I've bought a Raspberry Pi, but case and sd-card were from a different brand. They didn't even have an official case back then. So how does this work? Or do they get a commission for every case? I bet not.
- foolinaround 11y agoGrowth of the ecosystem will feed more growth, and overall, will increase visibility and sales, improving volume pricing... Yes, but needs to be managed well.
- avinassh 11y agoWow, this is just amazing. But looks like we have to wait till Feb 2016?
- akhilcacharya 11y agoBackers should get by December if all goes well. Source - am a backer. $9 didn't seem like much to lose.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- akhilcacharya 11y agoI'm glad I backed it, I wasn't 100% if it was even going to come to a production round, but apparently they just got a batch a few weeks ago.
- em3rgent0rdr 11y ago"World's first $9 computer!" is likely a false statement. Oh well, marketing. Whatever.
- sctb 11y agoCHIP on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9513850 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9513850 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9933226 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9933226 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9505807 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9505807 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9831293 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9831293