Slashdot Mirror
Raspberry Pi Has Gone To Manufacturing
alecclews writes "After weeks of waiting, the Raspberry Pi foundation, who are creating a $25 computer to bootstrap computing education, has flipped the switch on manufacturing. They had wanted to build the board in the UK but it turns out to be uneconomic."
And then the taxing part is plain and simply dumb. You can't control corporations, but that the government actively deters local production? That's like shooting yourself in the foot and wondering why it hurts.
The UK and the West as a whole (I'm entirely sure that the UK is not a special case here) should be ashamed.
For those too lazy to RTFA, UK is shooting in the foot using a big cannon then crying big of unemployment:
I’d like to draw attention to one cost in particular that really created problems for us in Britain. Simply put, if we build the Raspberry Pi in Britain, we have to pay a lot more tax. If a British company imports components, it has to pay tax on those (and most components are not made in the UK). If, however, a completed device is made abroad and imported into the UK – with all of those components soldered onto it – it does not attract any import duty at all.
Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
about $54 dollars http://www.bifferos.co.uk/ but proof that x86 can be done. i for one still root for the raspberry pi though, can't wait to order one.
I'm and engineer and have worked with various CM's in the US and Asia and I have to say you have things exactly backwards. Western manufacturers have given up on the low end since they can not compete with Asia on cost. They focus on the more profitable high end boards and/or doing very quick turns in small and medium numbers. First, lead times are long because factories are already at capacity with more profitable work. Secondly prices are high because you are competing with higher end boards with more profit margin. Why sell you time when they can make twice the profit selling it to someone else? For the places that quote lower prices they are using you to fill dead space between other boards. The volume is low because they only have so much expected down time. Making larger quantities would delay their more profitable business.
but can you run any supported version of Windows with 150Mhz CPU, 32MB of RAM and 8MB of Flash? (even ignoring the fact that it has no display)
Aside from Windows CE or Mobile (which I don't think is what the OP was asking for), I think Windows XP embedded has the lowest system requirements of any supported version of Windows, and its got the same base requirements as XP Pro:
Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended)
At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is recommended)
At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
Keyboard and a Microsoft Mouse or some other compatible pointing device
Video adapter and monitor with Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution
"The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK registered charity (Registration Number 1129409)"
- http://www.raspberrypi.org/sample-page
Not economical?
They explain this at the end of the article. One of the major factors is that there tax reductions for importing manufactured systems but not for components!!! Write to your MP today.
=~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
Import duty != VAT.
When you import something from outside the EU you pay both import duty and VAT (and VAT on the customs duty, and usually a handling charge to the carrier who cleared the package through customs). If you are a VAT registered buisness you claim the import VAT back and charge VAT on what you sell. Import duty however can't be claimed back under most circumstances (IIRC there are a few situations arround re-export where you can but I don't know the details).
Import duty varies depending on both the type of goods in question and country of origin with a huge number of confusing codes for different types of goods. Thankfully i've never imported enough stuff myself to have to deal with it.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register