[codysan]

It reminds me of what Apple does when it redefines a product category by "just" bringing together existing technology into a more convenient form factor and UX.

That's a wonderful observation. The form factor is as clever as it is logical. Stuff like this makes me really optimistic for the future of Raspberry Pi (and widespread computing!).

[geerlingguy]

It's one of those designs where you kind of go "ah yes, I thought that would be a good idea". But before you saw it you might never have planned it in your head exactly the way it is. The iPod was like that for me, with its scrolling click wheel.

Like getting to the platonic form of a specific type of device.

The Pi 400 is the completion of the idea of an educational computer for kids, IMO. It's not going to compete with a Mac mini or anything like that, and the keyboard is likely not going to be anyone's top choice for a 'professional' keyboard. But it's good enough in all the right ways as a general purpose computer.

[paulcarroty]

> the idea of an educational computer for kids

Especially for poor kids in Africa/Asia/etc. Hope it will be the "educational iPod" for them.

[interestica]

The one weird thing to me is their mouse placement decision. Their promo photos and videos show it on the left side because of the most convenient usb port. I have never actually seen a left-placed mouse in the wild. Having it all look so clean and organized in the promo is a bit disingenuous.

In reality, the mouse will be on the right, and the cable will have to cross over top of all cables except the ethernet and usbc power. For such a beautiful form factor, it will look like a mess.

[cstross]

> I have never actually seen a left-placed mouse in the wild.

Then you've never seen my desk! (About 10-15% of the population is left-handed)

But really, the Pi 400 supports Bluetooth 5. So I expect many/most folks will go wireless for their rodents.

[interestica]

The funny thing is that all of the lefties I know just adapted to the right-side mouse (likely just because that is how it was setup at school/office).

While yes, the BT mouse is going to be the better option, they're pushing the kit-included mouse.

[fortran77]

I'm right-handed, but I mouse with my left hand. It works well for me and I've been doing it for decades.

[otto2]

Me too. Due to some issues with right hand I retrained myself to use mouse with my left hand. Now I can use mouse by both hands, and in both button orientations.

[thw0rted]

Switching is easier than most people imagine, IMHO. I started to feel the beginnings of an RSI and went from right to left for half a year or so, no problems.

[interestica]

You basically just convinced me that I should be training my left hand to use my mouse. In all cases except precision work (eg graphic design) it should be doable.

[jaclaz]

Side note, but if you actually do graphic design, get a digitizer/gtaphic pen tablet, it is simply "another world" when compared to mouse, nowadays even an el-cheapo one ( i.e. something in the 40-60 US$ range)is good enough for non-professional use.

[ksolanki]

I am a right hander but use my mouse with my left hand. Why? “Saving my right hand to play tabla (Indian hand drums)”.

In any case, over the years I have become very comfortable using mouse with left hand as a right hander.

[jaclaz]

Actually this has little to do with being left-handed, it depends on other factors.

I am right handed and use the mouse with the left, so that I have my right hand "free" to use a pen or the (right side) numeric keypad when crunching numbers.

And I do not (as many left-handers do) "invert" the miue buttons, maybe I am strange/an exception.

[MiauCat]

The mouse placement was kind of forced by the PCB routing design. I've outlined the reasons in my 23 Fun Raspberry Pi 400 facts article:

https://picockpit.com/raspberry-pi/23-fun-raspberry-pi-400-f...

[blisterpeanuts]

The keyboard comes with Bluetooth 5.0; maybe the promo would look a bit cleaner with a bluetooth mouse, or at least a 2.4GHz wireless mouse and dongle.

[scruffyherder]

I’m left handed but finding good mice and fighting the bindings is just tiresome.

So I’m usually right handed, although I still move it around from time to time.

[NoOneNew]

It's a laptop minus the screen... that's all it amounts to. It's a keyboard with the proc and memory underneath it. I don't understand how any of this is revolutionary or special. Hell, it doesn't even have a battery.

[macjohnmcc]

I think the price alone makes it revolutionary. Laptops aren't $100 brand new and if it were what would that screen look like? Most people who would benefit from this price probably have a TV they can connect it to.

[flubert]

>Laptops aren't $100 brand new

Getting close?

https://www.newegg.com/p/0G6-00ZK-002K5?Item=9SIA6Z72ED8144

https://www.newegg.com/p/1TS-003M-00001?Item=9SIA7Z046M4434

[alsargent]

Also, screens last a long time, but it's the computers themselves that need continual ugrading. Case in point: we have a Dell screen from 18 year ago. The Dell desktop long since became obsolete.

So this makes a lot of sense economically, especially for cash-strapped organizations like schools that have to manage large fleets of machines.

Stuff that isn't touched and lasts long (screens) don't get replaced. Stuff that is touched (and likely to wear out over time) like keyboards or gets out of date due to Moore's Law (computer) is fused into one package, so there are fewer cables to worry about getting unplugged, worn out, etc.

[NoOneNew]

That's fair, but there's another problem. It's hard enough to find a regular educator that's qualified to teach kids about computers on a Windows or Apple. Linux is going to be easier?

[thw0rted]

The education sector has already bought into Chromebooks, which means that most in-class technology solutions are going to target the browser. The only thing anyone will need to learn to move between OSes is: how do I turn it on, where's the button to launch the browser, how do I turn it off. Everything else will already be familiar.

[ilrwbwrkhv]

and it is british. anecdotally in terms of longevity and development i have seen they do the best job.

[qz2]

As a British person we tend to tell everyone we do that and people believe it. However it’s not necessarily true. We produced a ridiculously large amount of crap to the point we nearly killed our manufacturing industry.

If there’s anything to aspire to its Hewlett Packard’s test and measurement and computing offerings between 1960 and 1990.

[forty]

I cannot resist the urge of sharing this wonderful sequence (also made in UK :) ): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1EBfxjSFAxQ

[lostlogin]

That show is just so good. “Have you tried turning it off an on again?” is close to a universal joke.

[dmje]

"Are you from the past?"

[qz2]

I was considering posting that. I'm glad you did :)

[acomjean]

My mom had an MGB in the late 60/early 70s. While she loved that car she didn’t love it’s reliability.

Those Brompton folding bikes are pretty well made, though pricey even with the deflated pound.

[Angostura]

I've still got a 1971 MGB. Apart from problems with the electrics - batteries go flat in winter, it's pretty easy to fix most things by hitting it with a hammer.

[werber]

I've been considering buying one. How much cost do you think you spend per year on matinence?

[95014_refugee]

I have a family member that had a long flirtation with MGBs and MGCs. The short answer is "as much as you're able to".

[moonbug]

If you believe that, I've got a vintage Allegro to sell you.

[tonyedgecombe]

My dad had one of those, it had so many faults they gave him a new one after a year. I wrote off the new one a few days later.

[moonbug]

You got lucky.

[nextos]

Perhaps that was the case with e.g. vintage sports cars from the 50s and 60s. But I don't think the British manufacturing industry has been doing well ever since. I would love to be wrong, though.

[nix23]

Sometimes it still is, Rolls-Royce (Engines and Turbines) are still the Topline.

[markb139]

According the uk official national statistics manufacturing product sales for 2019 was £396 billions.

[pmontra]

Stats for all the EU at https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/prodcom/data/excel-files-n... years 1995 to 2019.

[nextos]

I meant in terms of quality.

[yodelshady]

Ever watched formula 1?

I'll bet you're thinking of British Leyland, which behaved a bit like Boeing currently does. But much, much worse, and at every level.

British companies that are aware they can fail produce quality just fine. It's a fairly simple tale.

[scruffyherder]

Maybe it’ll be adopted better than the Sinclair QL, you know that cheap British 16bit micro of the future... /s

[bitbckt]

I can’t stop laughing at this. No /s?

[__m]

British jokes have the highest quality