
The $9 CHIP Computer Is Shipping - dcschelt
http://makezine.com/2015/09/24/the-9-computer-is-shipping-today/
======
jack12
This article is very confusing in the way it refers to "early backers", I
think it's leaving people with the wrong impression of what is shipping. They
are shipping "alpha" CHIP computers only to the 150 people who backed at the
"KERNEL HACKERS" tier for $150+S/H [1]. They've also announced that they'll be
shipping an unexpected second alpha unit to each of those 150 backers again
next month, partly because the first batch won't have any boot images
programmed.

This initial shipment of 150 was scheduled for September from the beginning of
the kickstarter, but it's not until December that the "$9" tiers begin to
ship, and not until May 2016 that the majority of their rewards are due. It's
nice to see them more or less on schedule with the roadmap in the original
kickstarter, but this isn't anything unexpected.

There are people who say the $9 price point is unrealistic, and that the
company will have to start taking additional "preorders" at higher prices just
to afford to manufacture the preorders they already have, or that it's relying
on corporate partnerships and funding to sell at a loss until enough interest
is built up that they can increase the price. This is a fairly small shipment,
which probably won't change any minds on that subject.

[1] [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-
wor...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-worlds-
first-9-computer/posts/1355196)

~~~
jdietrich
_There are people who say the $9 price point is unrealistic, and that the
company will have to start taking additional "preorders" at higher prices just
to afford to manufacture the preorders they already have, or that it's relying
on corporate partnerships and funding to sell at a loss until enough interest
is built up that they can increase the price. This is a fairly small shipment,
which probably won't change any minds on that subject._

$9 is substantially less than the BOM cost, even assuming huge quantity
discounts. A small American startup does not have access to some secret source
of ultra-cheap components. The price is marketing spin, nothing more.

~~~
kefka
I don't buy that.

The OrangePi is crazy for what you get. And it's $15 with $3 shipping.

I don't see a reason to buy the CHiP, given I can get a OrangePi ordered right
now and have them in 3 weeks.

~~~
jdietrich
The OrangePi omits the on-board flash and the wireless chipset, which
represent a substantial proportion of the CHIP's BOM cost. The HDMI and
Ethernet jacks add less than $1 to the OrangePi's BOM cost. The OrangePi team
are based in Shenzhen, which is a big deal when you're trying to squeeze your
suppliers.

The $6 difference in price is highly significant - a 66% increase is far from
trivial. I can see how the OrangePi can be made at a small profit, assuming
they're getting a decent price on the Allwinner H3 SoC. The CHIP simply
doesn't add up at $9, even as a breakeven proposition.

~~~
makomk
Ethernet jacks are actually surprisingly expensive - I'm guessing due to some
combination of the integrated transformer and the difficulty of manufacturing
the connector - so the BOM cost could well be more than adding a wireless chip
these days.

------
tracker1
It will by interesting to see what comes from this, I think it's really
interesting how far things have come... once we see python and node running on
this, there will be some significant proliferation of projects that can target
it.

Hopefully direct sales orders are coming soon, I missed the boat on this...
then again, I've given away a couple of Raspberry Pis over the years mainly
because I never got around to doing anything with them.

~~~
robalfonso
I'm glad to hear this, I have a pile of pi's and I haven't used them (plenty
of ideas, no time). I was feeling really guilty..glad I'm not the only one.

~~~
ozzmotik
If you're at all interested, please email me.

i.am AT ozzmotik.com

~~~
voltagex_
I've never heard someone say they "need" a Pi. What's your pitch?

------
IshKebab
Please correct the title. It is $39 after the kickstarter. Plus $15 for HDMI
output if you want to compare it to the Raspberry Pi.

[https://olimex.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/how-to-get-in-the-
ne...](https://olimex.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/how-to-get-in-the-news-tell-
people-that-you-will-make-and-sell-something-which-cost-you-20-for-9/)

~~~
makomk
No, a company that makes competing single-board computers claimed that Chip
will have to go up in price to $39 after the Kickstarter. The actual
manufacturer never said it's going up in price, and I doubt it'll cost
anywhere near that much because it wouldn't be competitive. The higher-end
Orange Pi PC is currently selling for $15 with a quad-core processor, 1GB of
RAM, 4K video decode in hardware, and Ethernet and HDMI out:
[http://hackaday.com/2015/09/05/orange-is-the-
new-15-pi/](http://hackaday.com/2015/09/05/orange-is-the-new-15-pi/) (No
onboard WiFi or Bluetooth on that, but there's plenty of free USB ports to
plug an adapter into.)

~~~
IshKebab
> a company that makes competing single-board computers

Allwinner aren't CHIP's competitors - they're their suppliers! However CHIP
have claimed that it will stay at $9:

[http://bbs.nextthing.co/t/final-price-of-c-h-i-p-ntc-
confirm...](http://bbs.nextthing.co/t/final-price-of-c-h-i-p-ntc-confirms-
still-9/190/3)

------
justinlardinois
I had a professor who liked to say things like "RAM is free" when talking
about how the cost of computers has come down over the course of his life. I
always rolled my eyes and thought yeah, it's basically free when you're an
accomplished academic who brings in untold amounts of grant money and makes
even more from consulting than you do from your university salary. But to a
broke college student, anything that costs more than a few hours of minimum
wage =/= free.

I really like this concept of cheap, all-in-one computers. We've had Arduinos
and Raspberry Pis, but stuff like this really opens a lot of doors. $40 is a
great price for a computer, but I would never consider using it for a project
where its destruction is a legitimate risk (anything exposed to the elements,
or liquid, or drones, for example), but with a $9 computer I would.

~~~
Florin_Andrei
> _We 've had Arduinos and Raspberry Pis, but stuff like this really opens a
> lot of doors._

I think this is an inflexion point for IoT at amateur level. We have the CHIP
for RPi-level devices, running full Linux, with WiFi and BT onboard.

We have particle.io and soon digistump.com for Arduino-level devices with WiFi
and soon cellular onboard.

My prediction: the number of IoT projects I'll see next time at the Maker
Faire will just explode.

I have a Photon (by particle.io), I've preordered a CHIP and an Oak (by
digistump.com). Very excited to play with the new toys.

~~~
bsder
Power is still a problem for IoT.

In addition, this thing will not ship for anything close to $9 in the near
future.

The BLE and WiFi bill of materials is more than that-it's why the BeagleBone
Black and RaspberryPi don't include them.

~~~
Florin_Andrei
> _Power is still a problem for IoT._

I'm not sure about that. If it's a stationary, long-term thing, just tap the
main power conduit on whatever device you're hacking.

If it's mobile or short-term, Li-Ion cells are pretty awesome. For a few
bucks, you could buy a Li-Ion cell, and a smart charger that will switch the
load between battery and main power depending on voltage levels.

~~~
dingaling
Many IoT concepts are remote or battery-powered. Most of the single-board
computers on the market will drain a 9V battery in a couple of days.

Wireless power transmission will be the enabler that causes IoT to really
advance.

------
lifeisstillgood
Somewhere in a Terry Pratchett book he opines that the best thing governments
can do is build libraries and schools and leave the doors open. I think that
we are at or very near the point where you could similarly write "just fly
over countries, parachuting down single board computers and solar cells"

~~~
kijin
Don't forget Wi-Fi dongles! Otherwise you're just parachuting down a bunch of
libraries without books.

I'm not sure whether Elon Musk is trying to take over the world with his "free
satellite internet for everyone" plan, but if that network ever comes online,
it could be a game-changer for people in developing countries. Too bad it
probably won't be compatible with regular Wi-Fi.

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LandoCalrissian
Wow, I had not heard about this before. For the price and spec that can't be
beat. I would've expected the maker scene to blow up over this but I haven't
heard anything. I have a ton of projects that could leverage this. How did
they make this so cheap?

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tmaly
I ordered one with the video attachment months back. I am not sure when it is
supposed to come.

~~~
dcschelt
My understanding after talking with Rauchwerk today is that the boards are
shipping out on the timeline they've outlined on the kickstater page. The only
divergence from that schedule is that Kernel Hacker Backers will get their
first board in 5-9 days and their second -- which is a bonus board -- in mid-
October.

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mintplant
Any word on the Pocket CHIP? That was the most interesting part of the
Kickstarter to me.

~~~
mitchty
Agreed, that is the thing I want. It would be like a proper sane calculator.

