Hello Spanner,

the idea of the customisable product is good IMO, and your last two questions includes a possible risk, at least as far as I know.

Will companies find a lot of use for it ... Sounds good and this is the right answer to the problem that the PI is closed. It is not open source, so the companies can't start from it to make their own version. The minimum limit of 3000 units (but I have no idea of the customisation costs) is nice, giving an option also to small companies. All depends by costs.

Instead the second questions imply a couple of possible answers, all driving the thoughts to a single direction:

• If there is a customisation reuse licensing limit this will be very less attractive. If the limits are not imposed, this opens the door to a lot of potential PI-based and PI-derived specific hardware platforms
• The expansion or minimisation I think may have the same "popularity" for the companies: in both cases this means the option to tailor small quantities too (so good for market experiments) of PI for specific markets cheaper or more expansive than the actual PI fixed price.
• The possibility to make a really full tailored version of the PI also means the creation of a number of potential competitors on the same end-user market. When the users can choose between the Original-PI for 40$, the super-PI for 70$ and the PI-micro for 20$ they are happy, just because there is the PI brand warranty of quality and reliability.

In a general view, my point is that any innovation is always good, as make changes and push people to think new things.

A customisation I'd like to see is a low(er) profile RPi2:

• 2x 1 USB port iso 2x 2ports
• GPIO pins at 90° angle
• no ethernet port

(In short, a Raspberry Pi 2 Model A ...)

Unfortunately, as I'm not a business (and do not require 3000 units) I'll just heat up my soldering iron ...

Frederick Vandenbosch wrote:

 

A customisation I'd like to see is a low(er) profile RPi2:

• 2x 1 USB port iso 2x 2ports
• GPIO pins at 90° angle
• no ethernet port

(In short, a Raspberry Pi 2 Model A ...)

 

Unfortunately, as I'm not a business (and do not require 3000 units) I'll just heat up my soldering iron ...

Sounds like you could do all of that with a chunky pair of pliers.

Save the electricity.

Thinking seriously to your idea is: why remove pieces to a device that you have paid anyway for the full pieces? As a matter of fact, it has sense - IMHO - that a certain company for its own project needs to pay less than a Raspi but loves it for its technical projects. So ask to build 3000 pcs (at least) with parts removed, that I think will cost less, to embed this custom version in its own project. But if you already have a full PI, why remove what you don't need ? It does not saves money nor time as well. Or I have misunderstood something ?

Enrico

I suppose there could be an issue of reduced form factor and/or power consumption?

Interesting point though. It could be that very few people who employ the customization service will actually remove features, due to the economics you pointed out; it might be primarily used to add features, rather than take them away.

The possible reasons that a company producing a product with a PI embedded will need a custom version are two:

1. Ask for a customisation including more memory and a display (just for example) because the cost-per-unit is higher due the added components but on a basis of 3000 pcs the resulting cost to have all done and not manage the original PI before embedding results in a money saving.
2. Ask for a customisation removing unneeded pieces just because these implies and extra-cost that will be disperse as the device will be embedded in a product they are creating.

Enrico

I've seen enough requests on the raspberry Pi forum for a reduced height Pi to think it would be possible to sell a low profile Pi, maybe nobody will want to buy 3000 of them  but perhaps a bulk purchase kickstarter could finance this type of modification.

Doug,

my doubt is that for a medium average company 3000 pieces (also for a kickstarter production) is a small number and totally affordable for a production. Or I am wrong and my selling of 10 pieces in two months is alot ?

Enrico

Enrico,

I don't think 3000 units is an achievable amount for a small company to turnover, however it is clear in the video of the press conference that some customers buy tens of thousands of units in a single transaction, therefore there will likely be some demand for this service.

I've only seen a few requests for "barebones Pi" but there may be enough demand for a run of 3000 of them. Possibly a stripped down version of the Pi would be possible in smaller quantities as no redesign works would be required, just a re-program of the pick and place to omit some of the components.

I look forwards to seeing a plethora of kickstarters offering subtle variants on the Pi theme.

Some other likely possibilities (Likely in some combination):

+RTC

+Arduino

+ADC

+DAC

+ motor driver

+ relays

+ Power switching (true powerdown rather than standby)

Doug Jefferies wrote:

 

+RTC

 

Not thats a good suggestion!