Raspberry Pi Gets 512MB Filling

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Raspberry Pi Gets 512MB Filling

Posted by samzenpus on Monday October 15, 2012 @01:35AM from the bigger-and-better dept.

sfcrazy writes "Good (and bad) news for Raspberry Pi lovers, the Model B has been upgraded to 512MB RAM from 256MB. Bad news is for those who already got their Model B shipments because all those who have outstanding orders with either distributors will get the *upgraded* version of the device, means with 512MB RAM instead of 256MB. The upgraded devices should be arriving to customers from today onwards. Raspberry Pi team will be pushing a firmware upgrade soon so these news devices can detect and use the additional RAM."

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"Bad news" by Bronster · 2012-10-15 01:41 · Score: 5, Insightful

That's what happens when you adopt early, you get earlier revisions of stuff.
The alternative would be to never upgrade for fear of making the early adopters sad. Of course there has to be a balance, but most non-assholes accept that this is how things work.
On the plus side, they actually HAVE their Pi now, and have had the use of it already. If they hadn't bought it (collectively), there would be no Pi.
Mmm, Pi.
1. Re:"Bad news" by mfh · 2012-10-15 01:45 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  That's what happens when you adopt early, you get earlier revisions of stuff.
  Early adopters get a rare slice of history. Nothing wrong with that.
  
  --
  The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
2. Re:"Bad news" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-15 01:48 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  @ $35, it's not even an issue. buy a second one! wooo.
3. Re:"Bad news" by decipher_saint · 2012-10-15 02:02 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Hmm, I guess the alternative is to wait until just before the end of time to buy all your devices.
  (but you just know they have better devices in a parallel universe anyway)
  
  --
  crazy dynamite monkey
4. Re:"Bad news" by kelemvor4 · 2012-10-15 02:05 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  @ $50, it's not even an issue. buy a second one! wooo.
  FTFY. Although at this point, I didn't really buy a pi, I loaned them 50 bucks.
5. Re:"Bad news" by MightyYar · 2012-10-15 02:31 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I know I said in the past that I would buy one when Western Digital started making them
  I know, I'm waiting for Boeing to start making automobiles. Toyotas just aren't reliable enough ;p
  Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I personally think you are better off with an Intel SSD, since intel has experience with chips. WD might know how to make a good spinning disk, but AFAIK they don't own a single chip fab.
  
  --
  W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
6. Re:"Bad news" by msauve · 2012-10-15 02:52 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  "I guess the alternative is to wait until just before the end of time to buy all your devices."
  
  Even better, if you're buying at the end of time, pay with credit!
  
  --
  "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
7. Re:"Bad news" by Gaygirlie · 2012-10-15 02:53 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  The reason they were able to upgrade the Pi to 512MB is exactly because the 256MB - version was so popular. If there had not been such demand there still wouldn't be 512MB - version. So basically, you're annoyed because it is popular and therefore managed to get a discount -- rather illogical from your part.
8. Re:"Bad news" by Gaygirlie · 2012-10-15 03:00 · Score: 2
  
  Finally, for the same actual delivered price, you can get something else. For barely more you can get a VIA APC from Newegg. For the same price, you can get one of these sticks that run ICS.
  You do realize that those do not offer the same kind of modifiability as the RPi? The VIA APC has very few extra ports and the sticks have literally none. In other words, they cater to entirely different audience and if you bought an RPi but actually wanted a VIA APC or similar then you hadn't really thought about what you actually want. Yes, it is sad that the RPi doesn't seem to suit you, but blaming them for that is just shifting blame for your bad purchase from yourself.
  
  the memory upgrade had to be coming but they didn't want people to wait so they didn't tell us.
  I quite doubt it's like that. Most likely they couldn't secure a deal for larger memory chips at the same price because the manufacturer of those chips wasn't convinced that there'd be enough demand for the RPi. Now that the demand has been proven the deal could be closed. It's just basic business practices, mate.
9. Re:"Bad news" by Laxori666 · 2012-10-15 03:11 · Score: 2
  
  I think the notion of 'credit' will become more and more obsolete as the end of time approaches.
10. Re:"Bad news" by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2012-10-15 03:13 · Score: 2
  
  That's what happens when you adopt early, you get earlier revisions of stuff.
  That's why I'm waiting for the fastest and bestest computer anyone will ever build! By the way, is there any schedule for when they're gonna build it?
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
11. Re:"Bad news" by Dishevel · 2012-10-15 03:33 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Everybody STOP!
  Do not improve anything. AC just bought something and we must respect his feelings in this matter.
  
  --
  Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
12. Re:"Bad news" by Gaygirlie · 2012-10-15 03:37 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  It's not 1994 anymore, ram is dirt cheap. Putting in 512mb from the start SHOULD have been obvious at the design meeting, would not have added significant cost, and would not have fragmented the software base, as now there will be different version for stuff with differing amounts of ram.
  The manufacturers weren't convinced there'd be enough demand for the Pi and therefore getting a deal for 512MB chips would indeed have increased the price of the device quite a bit. Also, your argument is like saying that they should never ever do upgraded versions of anything whatsoever because -- gee whiz! -- there will be new versions of stuff to make use of new possibilities!
13. Re:"Bad news" by Ginger+Unicorn · 2012-10-15 04:09 · Score: 2
  
  In keeping with the BBC Micro inspired naming scheme, they should have just called them the B+
  The BBC model B+ was basically a B with twice as much RAM.
  
  --
  (1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
14. Re:"Bad news" by Gaygirlie · 2012-10-15 04:41 · Score: 2
  
  I was not aware of this, do you have a link elaborating on that? Given that the VIA APC has 512 of ram and almost the same price I am slightly skeptical of this claim.
  Well, comparing VIA to the foundation behind the Pi is quite unfair as VIA is a large, established manufacturer with plants of their own; of course they can get deals with other manufacturers much more easily than a completely new entity that has no track record whatsoever and a questionable amount of financial resources to back up a deal with. Also, in VIA's case they themselves manufacture their own boards, the CPU, many of the connectors and so on, meaning that they can squeeze just that much more out of the price.
15. Re:"Bad news" by tepples · 2012-10-15 05:01 · Score: 2
  
  My point is that some people have legitimate reasons to run Windows, such as Windows-exclusive business-critical applications.
Bring on the Android Pi by judgecorp · 2012-10-15 01:42 · Score: 4, Interesting

One exciting thing is the Pi can now run the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android... http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/raspberry-pi-512mb-ram-96143
1. Re:Bring on the Android Pi by SimonTheSoundMan · 2012-10-15 10:36 · Score: 2
  
  PC manufacturers have done this for years and have never learnt either.
  Nothing better than a brand new PC that take 2 minutes to boot then 3 minutes for the HDD to settle down after login followed by a ton of nagware, reformat and reinstall and choose not to install he bloatware and the PC takes 40 seconds to boot and no HDD activity after a couple of seconds after login.
Good site for Raspberry Pi hardware? by crazyjj · 2012-10-15 01:42 · Score: 2

My son is really interested in robotics and hardware stuff. Is there some site out there that has a list of components and accessories for sale (like robotic arms, led displays, etc.) that will work out of the box with Raspberry Pi's? I've seen a few of these for other prototyping hardware controllers, but the prices were a bit steep.

--
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
1. Re:Good site for Raspberry Pi hardware? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-15 01:51 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Adafruit.com has some nifty items. Also checkout hackaday.com for some interesting raspi stuff.
2. Re:Good site for Raspberry Pi hardware? by capedgirardeau · 2012-10-15 02:18 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I would check out the RPi forums and potentially the wiki. There are a lot of folks who use the RPi for robotics.
  Here is a link to the sub forum that includes robotics, but I bet there are robotics threads in lots of other places on their forums as well:
  http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=37
  And here is the RPi wiki:
  http://elinux.org/RPi_Hub
  Feel free to ask on the forums, I have found them to be very friendly.
  
  --
  Wax on, wax off baby!
3. Re:Good site for Raspberry Pi hardware? by Hemlock+Stones · 2012-10-15 02:36 · Score: 2
  
  I can personally recommend these: http://www.dfrobot.com/ http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/robot/robotstore.html http://www.societyofrobots.com/
How about actually shipping them? by Terrasque · 2012-10-15 01:43 · Score: 4, Interesting

How about actually, you know, shipping the things? Ordered a month ago, only thing I've got from it so far is an automated email and a PI-shaped hole in my paypal account..
Less mucking about, more actually delivering stuff please.

--
It's The Golden Rule: "He who has the gold makes the rules."
1. Re:How about actually shipping them? by niftydude · 2012-10-15 01:50 · Score: 2
  
  How about actually, you know, shipping the things? Ordered a month ago, only thing I've got from it so far is an automated email and a PI-shaped hole in my paypal account..
  I see this comment all over the place. Who did you order from?
  
  I have two already. Bought mine from element14.
  
  I don't mind about the extra ram, cause the tasks I'm using these ones for don't require it.
  
  --
  You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part.
2. Re:How about actually shipping them? by Terrasque · 2012-10-15 01:56 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Ordered from raspberrypi.rsdelivers.com - one of the two that was recommended from http://www.raspberrypi.org/ page.
  I looked at element14 but they didn't seem to have a casing for it, so I ended up at the other recommended place.
  
  --
  It's The Golden Rule: "He who has the gold makes the rules."
3. Re:How about actually shipping them? by rdnetto · 2012-10-15 02:19 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Here's a useful reference point: I ordered one from both element14 and RS at the same time. The RS one arrived several weeks after the one from element14. I ordered another one from element14 more recently, and it arrived in under 3 weeks.
  AFAICT, most of the people complaining ordered theirs from RS. I suspect part of the reason may be that RS is using a completely separate website and therefore likely has a completely separate administrative process for fulfilling orders, which isn't as capable. Element14 just added them as items to their regular site, so they aren't subject to the same limitations. (I'd say that was a pretty good move on their part, given that I've since ordered lots of more obscure components from them.)
  
  --
  Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
THE!!!! by organgtool · 2012-10-15 01:56 · Score: 2, Informative

I have been reading Slashdot for fourteen years and I have never once complained about the grammar in a summary before (usually there are enough pedants out there to do more than enough complaining), but this summary is horrible. I do not blame the submitter because I realize that English may not be his or her first language, but I though Slashdot was supposed to have some sort of editors who at least read the summary once before posting it to the front page. I had to read the second sentence several times to confirm that it meant what I thought it did and in the rest of the summary the article "the" is missing at least two times. I really do love this site, but if you want to call yourself an editor, then please do the job or turn it over to someone who will.
1. Re:THE!!!! by L4t3r4lu5 · 2012-10-15 02:18 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I have been reading Slashdot for fourteen years and I have never once complained about the grammar in a summary before. Usually there are enough pedants out there to do more than enough complaining, but this summary is horrible. I do not blame the submitter because I realize that English may not be his or her first language, but I thought Slashdot was supposed to have some sort of editorial staff who at least read the summary once before posting it to the front page. I had to read the second sentence several times to confirm that it meant what I thought it did, and in the rest of the summary the article "the" is missing at least two times. I really do love this site, but if you want to call yourself an editor, then please do the job or turn it over to someone who will.
  Muphry's Law strikes again
  
  --
  Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
Re:I know this sounds stupid, but... by scythian_monk · 2012-10-15 02:34 · Score: 2

I am sure you will be able to find folks who want to sell off their 256 MB Pi to buy the upgraded one.
switch distributors by Chirs · 2012-10-15 02:48 · Score: 4, Informative

The one distributor (RS, I think) is notorious for crazy long shipping times, while the other has almost always had stock. Cancel your order, go with the other guy.
1. Re:switch distributors by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-15 03:13 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Parent post is correct: RS has had atrociously long shipping times (though they'll charge your credit card almost immediately). Go with Farnell/Newark/Element instead.
  And if you're not keen on trusting an AC's posting, go check the Shipping forum on the Raspberry Pi site for a second opinion.
Some Pi Alternatives by evilviper · 2012-10-15 04:07 · Score: 2, Informative

If you want a smartphone, the Alcatel Venture has comparable specs, and sells for $50, contract-free (and VirginMobile also has some of the cheapest cell plans, too, if you want to sign up).
If you want a desktop, you can usually get a used, mini P4 system (40w idle) for $32 from geeks.com. Better deals are often available from local off-lease PC dealers.
If you want a tablet, Walmart stocks a 7" Pandigital unit for $50.
If you want video streaming and 1080p decoding, the D-Link MovieNite Streaming Player, DSM310 is selling for $38 at WalMart.
If you want network-attached cameras, you can find ethernet and WiFi (g) models with PTZ, built-in mic and speaker, and night-vision for $50, maybe less.
With the Pi needing binary blobs as well, I really see nowhere than the Pi makes sense.

--
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
1. Re:Some Pi Alternatives by jockm · 2012-10-15 04:17 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Hmm none of those systems have open pins for hardware work, only one is roughly the same size, you can't really install any linux you want on most of them, only one can be run off of AA batteries.
  And while you can to a lot with the hardware you mentioned, it isn't the same as having a small, relatively powerful, piece of generic hardware.
  Binary blobs don't bother everyone...
  
  --
  
  What do you know I wrote a novel
Re:Alternatives by ssam · 2012-10-15 05:16 · Score: 2

There are lots of arm dev boards. though none quite as cheap as the raspberry pi. for example I have had a beagleboard for several years, its a bit bigger (though still tiny by most standards), and quite a bit more expensive. If you want smaller you could look at gumstix. if you only need 8bit then arduino. if you want ubuntu support you could look at pandaboard. if you want a 16/64 core coprocessor then parallella.