Computing Made in Europe
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For those who didn't know, two of the biggest developments in computers in recent times come to us from Europe, not Asia. The Raspberry Pi is made in the UK and the Arduino boards are made in Italy. Are we seeing a shift from Asian manufacturing? This is not something that anyone was predicting but these are two really major systems coming from countries traditionally seen as being too expensive to make electronics in.
Similarly, Apple has begun shifting some manufacturing to the US as has Google's Motorola division.
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As technological change sees the replacement of manual labour with robots we will inevitably see a shift of production from economies based on cheap manual labour a la Asia. American robots will soon be able to assemble iPhones cheaper than Chinese labourers.
As far as the Raspberry Pi is concerned, it's a niche product, not mass market, and the UK has always been strong in hi-tech niche products. I don't see a massive change there.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
As far as the Raspberry Pi is concerned, it's a niche product, not mass market, and the UK has always been strong in hi-tech niche products. I don't see a massive change there.
Raspberry Pi is the best selling computer of our generation, is it not? I thought that it was the first computer to give the Commodore 64 a run for the title of best selling computer of all time. It's niche in one respect but the most mass market in another. And from a manufacturing perspective, it's the best selling in the one that counts.
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3.8 million units. Hardly the record, but still a major product. And still selling like crazy.
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Wow. I didn't realise it's sold that many.
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I know, it's crazy. But it seems like everyone has one these days and a lot of people buy many for projects. And some kids' toys are starting to ship with them for educational reasons. Probably lots of schools buying them now too.
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I haven't got one yet. I'm not sure what I'd use it for. I'm starting to feel a bit left out though....
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I haven't got one yet. I'm not sure what I'd use it for. I'm starting to feel a bit left out though....
I don't have one either. I had a company promise me one but never send it. Don't really have a use for one, though.
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I've been hearing a lot about Banana Pi lately. I've been told it's basically just a more powerful Raspberry Pi.
http://www.bananapi.org/p/product.html
