A new version of the popular Raspberry Pi micro-computer has raced out of the traps and is six times more powerful than the previous model according to the Cambridgeshire-based charity behind it, the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
Called the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, it features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU that runs at 900MHz, compared to the single-core 700MHz CPU in the Raspberry Pi Model B+ from July 2014. It also features double the RAM at 1GB but is roughly the same size as its predecessor and will go on sale today for the same $35 cost (around £22.85)/AUS$45).
Speaking at the event, Raspberry Pi Founder Eben Upton said that while the previous version of the titular PC was a "great computer", users "had to be forgiving" when undertaking certain tasks due to its comparitively low processor power, adding that the Raspberry Pi 2 will be able to be used as a fully-capable PC without compromise.
Global appeal
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has shipped 4.5 million Raspberry Pis to date, something Upton said has "been succesful beyond our wildest dreams".
In a post on the Raspberry Pi blog, Upton writes that the Raspberry Pi 2 will be compatible with Windows 10 thanks to its ARM-based processor, and will also run ARM GNU/Linux Distributions including Snappy Ubuntu Core.
