Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ Released For $25 USD

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ Released For $25 USD

The Raspberry Pi Foundation today unveiled the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ ARM SBC that costs just $25 and offers Bluetooth, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, and a 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 processor...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Raspberry-Pi-3-Model-A-Plus

[Dark-Show]

Neat but I was hoping more for a Pi2 CPU in a pi zero form with 512mb ram and with or without wifi/bt (to meet price range) I think that it would be the next logical step, but having more choices is always good for random projects.

[mzs.112000]

So, 7 years of Raspberry Pi, looks like this is the end of the line....
I hope whatever comes next retains everything that made the RPi so great.

I do think that the RPi form-factor still had/has many revisions and years of life left in it. The quad-core Cortex-A53 could easily be replaced with a Rockchip 3388(8-core Cortex-A53), or a Rockchip 3399(4-core Cortex-A53 + 2-core Cortex-A72), or a Freescale I.MX8(2-core Cortex-A72 + 4-core Cortex-A53).

I would do a RK3399, 4GB of RAM, 128GB eMMC, dual-band WiFi(867Mbps), Bluetooth, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, 1GBase-T ethernet, a MicroSD slot, M.2 connector, and a Pi-2 header. All in a RPi form-factor...

Another idea I had, although it would cost a fair bit more is, do a board that's a bit bigger than the Pi, it would probably use a Kirin 980 CPU(from HiSilicon/Huawei), 8GB of RAM, 128GB eMMC, dual-band WiFi(867Mbps), Bluetooth, 4x USB 3.0, HDMI, 1GBase-T ethernet, full-size MicroSD slot, M.2 connector and a PCIe slot....

[red23]

No Ethernet port is a total no-go for me. I love the good old LAN cables. For makes no sense for any potential uses I personally would have. Sure I can probably use some USB to LAN adapter but this things need to work well on it and probably coast almost as much as the PI itself. Apart from the fact that there a TONS of competitors to the PI that give you more bang for the buck.

[Degra]

I would do a RK3399, 4GB of RAM, 128GB eMMC, dual-band WiFi(867Mbps), Bluetooth, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, HDMI, 1GBase-T ethernet, a MicroSD slot, M.2 connector, and a Pi-2 header. All in a RPi form-factor...

Take a look at the Rock Pi 4. It comes closest to what you want.

So, 7 years of Raspberry Pi, looks like this is the end of the line....

Yup, the VC4 is at the very end of its life cycle now.

I am quote curious what they will come up with next. 100% Backward compatibility won't be feasible.

[caligula]

I am quote curious what they will come up with next. 100% Backward compatibility won't be feasible.

Maybe some cheaper 12nm chip? Octa-core, 4GB RAM (LPDDR5X), 64GB Flash, 802.11ax wifi?

[Guest]

Wake me up when they release a Pi with a newer CPU than 6 years old.

[sykobee]

You're not going to get a next generation Pi using a 7/12/14/16nm SoC in the next year or two. I think the SoC budget for the board is $5.

However I would hope for something more modern than the existing 40nm SoC. 28nm would be okay, or 22nm FDSOI.

I kinda hope they keep compatibility, at least at a software level, with day 1 Raspbian support and easy migration for other operating systems and platforms.

I would presume they would use a next generation Broadcom chip with VC5, given the driver work going on there. I don't mind if they have to launch at a slightly higher price ($45) initially, retaining the 3+ boards at $25 and $35 for a year. It has been six years, so inflation would cover half of that increase in the first place.

What would I like to see in the SoC?

* VC5 GPU - ~8x faster (higher clock speed from process improvement and extra cores due to process shrink)
* Integrated native GigE ethernet (no more USB)
* 2x USB 3 + 2x USB 2 (eradicate need for hub) (1 type C on the board)
* ~1.8GHz CPU (quad A55? 1 A75 + 3 A55?)
* Faster storage support (up to date eMMC, or even M2 slot on board) - a bit more unlikely this one

[dungeon]

Wake me up when they release a Pi with a newer CPU than 6 years old.

It is hard to operate in $35 or less range That must be something old.

[Jabberwocky]

It is hard to operate in $35 or less range That must be something old.

From Degra's post: "Take a look at the Rock Pi 4.".

Apparently it's $39 and it has a Rockchip RK3399 SoC, not bad if you ask me.