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Kano Ships 18,000 Learn-To-Code Computer Kits
drkim writes Kano Computing is a startup that plays in the learn-to-code space by adding a step-by-step, hand-holding layer atop the Raspberry Pi to make learning about computational thinking child's play. Kano has now shipped all the hardware kits in its first batch of crowdfunded orders and pre-orders. That's around 18,000 kits in all, co-founder Alex Klein confirmed to TechCrunch. The lion's share of the first batch of Kano kits — almost 13,000 kits — were ordered via its Kickstarter campaign last year, with a further 5,000 pre-orders taken via its website. The kits cost $99 (plus shipping) to crowdfunder backers, or around $160 (plus shipping) if pre-ordered on the Kano website. The company plans to focus on selling mainly via its own web channel from here on in, according to Alex.
€119 for a Raspberry Pi and a colorful keyboard, and then you still have to buy a screen for it. Oh, you already have a screen for your other computer? Why not just learn to program on the computer you already have then?
The premise that you need to buy this in order to learn how to program is nothing short of a scam, and the Raspberry Pi was sold very much on the same lie, that it was somehow easier to learn how to program on that, than on the computer you already owned.
While the price for the hardware is not awful, they have also built a whole structured environment to help kids learn to code. It's all well and good to simply sit a kid down in front of a Linux box, but unless the parents themselves know how to code, how is one supposed to know where to start the learning process? A tightly restricted H/W platform makes the S/W package tons easier to deploy.
And the intent is that you'll use a TV as the screen, not a monitor (although you certainly could.)