The much hyped and eagerly awaited Raspberry Pi -- a $35 computer the size of a credit card -- is finally moving out of the testing room and into consumers’ hands.

If you were one of the lucky 10,000 people who were able to pre-order the first run of the Raspberry Pi back in March, you should be receiving your mini-computer by April 20.

And by mini, we mean miniature and stripped down. The Raspberry Pi computer is built around the ARM chip that is used in most mobile phones. There is no cover for the computer and it doesn’t come with a mouse, keyboard or screen.

However, it runs Linux and can be used for word processing, watching hi-def video and surfing the Internet.


As for the tens of thousands of people who missed the unexpectedly short pre-order window -- the computer sold out of its first run just minutes after going on sale -- we’re sorry to tell you there is still no word on when you will be able to get one of these bare-bones babies.

RS Components, one of the two distributors of the computer, said on its website that it is still asking anyone interested in buying a Raspberry Pi to “register interest” on its site.

“This will help us to ensure that those who are registered first are given the first opportunity to buy,” the company explained.

The company also said it will sell only one computer per customer at this point.


Stingy!

Although it is mostly adult programmers who have driven early demand for the Raspberry Pi, the computer was designed to teach kids how to program a computer, rather than just use one.

After all, $35 is about the same price as a textbook.

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