6 ms·

£99+VAT is overpriced. Similar items can be bought for 60 USD (or even less), shipping included (buying at Amazon and/or eBay).

• pjc50 10y ago
  "This is an unashamedly premium product", says the webpage. The Pi was originally designed with re-using existing peripherals, and will be used that way most of the time, but there's still demand for a premium starter kit.
  • agumonkey 10y ago
    That's still twisting words. There's nothing "premium" here, it's just a kit. People should spend 50 bucks on a 2nd hand Core2Duo ThinkPad and some mcu for GPIO, they'll learn as much for less.
    • nickpsecurity 10y ago
      I agree. The eBay hand-me-down market is strong for high-performance gear in this range. I've also seen FPGA kits and SGI Altix servers at similar price. Nothing wrong with new products at various price points but lets not kid ourselves on their relative value.
      • pjc50 10y ago
        I think people are too keen to dismiss the Pi's hardware without realising that that's not where the Pi foundation puts most of its efforts and staff: it's the educational materials that are the focus and the hardware is a means to deliver them. In other words, if you can make use of an FPGA or an SGI you're not the primary target market. Even if more Pi have gone to hobbyists than children, the children are still the primary target market. It's an attempt to make educational technology that kids actually like.
        • nickpsecurity 10y ago
          I can easily put a Windows or Linux desktop on a hand-me-down with tons of learning potential. Likewise, things like Scratch language and OLPC were well-designed for kids to pick up with ease. RPi and its ecosystem are pretty complicated compared to most child-oriented products. So, how is it actually doing in the child market? Im curious. Esp vs something like Lego Mindstorms.
          • pjc50 10y ago
            Scratch on the Pi is quite popular. The OLPC was in some ways the anti-inspiration for the Pi foundation, who wanted to learn from its failure. Lego Mindstorms are pretty good but much more expensive. Again, more important than the actual hardware is the collateral, e.g. http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/computing/raspberry-pi/ http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/computing/ra... (OCR are one of the exam boards), which meets the bureaucratic criteria for use in schools and is targeted at teachers who may themselves not be very computer literate and need handholding. The use of a standard platform rather than hand-me-downs avoids tripping up over incompatibility issues. Also, you can't bulk order hand-me-downs as easily. Whereas you can order a box of Pi devices and pre-installed SD cards and the whole thing works with almost no setup. Remember, you can't assume anyone in the school knows Linux.
            • nickpsecurity 10y ago
              I didn't realize they ported Scratch, factored in OLPC, and weighing OCR. Latter is especially smart as cash-strapped schools or states might find it desirable so long as it has necessary learning materials and software for instructors with it. I agree on compatibility benefit. I didnt realize they had put this much effort into the chilren angle. Well, thanks for telling me! You got any links showing good progress or case studies in educational use where replication is doable without ultra-talented teachers?
• willvarfar 10y ago
  > This is an unashamedly premium product: the latest Raspberry Pi, official accessories, the best USB peripherals we could find, and a copy of the highest-rated Raspberry Pi book.