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Next Thing Co.

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Logo for Next Thing Co.
Logo for Next Thing Co.

Next Thing Co. is an Oakland, California based start-up company founded in 2013 by Dave Rauchwerk, Gustavo Huber and Thomas Deckert,[1] and known for its miniature computer, CHIP.[2][3][4][5][6]

CHIP computer

Announced in May 2015, CHIP is a Linux development board marketed as a miniature computer, costing for $9 for early Kickstarter backers (+shipping cost of 5-25 USD). NTC has confirmed that after Kickstarter campaign the price will continue to be $9,[7] despite speculation from competitors that the price will go up.[8] Alpha versions of the computer were based on variant of AllWinner's R8M module (priced around $16 by manufacturer according to a competitor's reports[8][9]), while the final version is based on the related AllWinner R8.[10] Chip computer measures 40mm/1.5" by 60mm/2.3", has a 1 GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage, WiFi and Bluetooth. It can connect wirelessly to a keyboard, and to any computer screen via a composite output. It also has USB and micro-USB ports, and runs on the Debian GNU/Linux operating system.[11] Next Thing announced the product via a Kickstarter campaign, asking for $50,000.[12] The campaign had raised over $1.5m before 21 May 2015, with over 29,000 backers. It was successfully funded for $2,071,927 on 6 June 2015.

On 30 Nov 2015, NextThing Co. announced changing from the original R8M module to the R8 module, this is the one that will be available in the 1.0 release. Also instead of the CPU being placed on the front it is now instead placed on the back.[13] In January 2016, it announced on its website that preorders are estimated to be shipped in June 2016.[14]

Preorders are now rescheduled to August through October and this is currently only an estimate.

Comparison of C.H.I.P. to Raspberry Pi

One advantage of the C.H.I.P is that it is open hardware,[15] whereas some of the Raspberry Pi hardware is closed source.[16]

The C.H.I.P comes with built in wifi, whereas some of the Raspberry Pi requires external wifi accessories to be purchased. It is however important to note that the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B does include built in wifi.

There is a screen and keyboard accessory available for purchase on the Next Thing website. Raspberry Pi has several LCD accessories available on the market.

References

  1. ^ "For Oakland startup, a $9 computer about more than getting rich – The Mercury News". Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  2. ^ Claudine Wong (20 May 2015). "MADE IN THE BAY: Oakland company creates $9 computer". ktvu.com. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  3. ^ "This $9 computer could change the economics of building hardware - Fortune". Fortune. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  4. ^ Ian Paul (11 May 2015). "Meet Chip, an ultra-tiny $9 PC that makes the Raspberry Pi's price seem luxurious". PCWorld. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  5. ^ Basulto, Dominic (13 May 2015). "How a $9 computer could change the way we think about computing". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  6. ^ John Patrick Pullen (14 May 2015). "C.H.I.P Could Be the World's Cheapest Computer". TIME.com. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  7. ^ [1] GUSH on bbs.nextthing.co "C.H.I.P. will continue to be $9 post-kickstarter. We're not sure where these speculative prices are coming from, but they are way off. C.H.I.P. is $9 til the cows come home."
  8. ^ a b How to get in the News? Tell people that you will make and sell something which cost you $20 for $9! / OLIMEX ltd, 05 JUN 2015 "Today I got datasheet of R8M and price of it is $16 including the PMU."
  9. ^ Allwinner R8 Module Datasheet and Price. Is the $9 C.H.I.P Computer Selling at a Loss? / cnxsoft, June 7th, 2015 "$16 for Allwinner R8M with 512 MB RAM and 8GB NAND Flash for 5,000 unit orders. .. Wait… If R8M module is $16, how can C.H.I.P sell it for $9? .."
  10. ^ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-worlds-first-9-computer/posts/1428989
  11. ^ "Are you ready for the $9 computer from Oakland-based Next Thing Co.?". Click. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  12. ^ "CHIP - The World's First Nine Dollar Computer". Kickstarter. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Kickstarter Update 29 - C.H.I.P. 1.0 Design + C.H.I.P. Case!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 30 Nov 2015.
  14. ^ "Official CHIP page". Next Thing Co. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  15. ^ https://github.com/NextThingCo/CHIP-Hardware/
  16. ^ https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55777&p=422729
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