Raspberry Pi 400 Is a $70 Computer in a Keyboard

Laptops are so 2019: Raspberry Pi today unveiled its latest personal computer, which is actually a compact keyboard.

Raspberry Pi 400 is a faster version of last year's Pi 4 Model B (which is roughly 40 times more powerful than the original Raspberry Pi). But rather than selling another bare CPU, engineers shoved the processor into a portable keyboard.

"Particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen a rapid increase in the use of Raspberry Pi 4 for home working and studying," according to Eben Upton, chief executive of Raspberry Pi Trading. "But user friendliness is about more than performance: it can also be about form factor. In particular, having fewer objects on your desk makes for a simpler setup experience."

Citing classic home computers like the BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, and Commodore Amiga—which integrated the motherboard directly into the keyboard—Upton admitted that his company has "never been shy about borrowing a good idea."

Enter Raspberry Pi 400: a faster, cooler 4G Raspberry Pi 4, with quad-core 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, wireless networking, dual-display output, 4K video playback, and a $70 price tag.

Whether you're looking to upgrade your work-from-home setup or have already begun holiday shopping, the Raspberry Pi 400 also comes in a ready-to-go kit. For $100, you get the keyboard computer, plus a USB mouse, USB-C power supply, SD card (pre-installed with Raspberry Pi OS), micro HDMI-to-HDMI cable, and the fourth-edition Raspberry Pi Beginner's Guide.

Kits and computers are available now in the US, UK, and France; units will hit shelves soon in Italy, Germany, Spain, India, Australia, and New Zealand. "We're rapidly rolling out compliance certification for other territories," according to Upton, who teased global availability "in the first few months of 2021."

Posted in: Keyboard