Note: this article has been updated based on information provided by Raspberry Pi. My apologies for any confusion stemming from the original publication. -KP
Just after Monday's report that the first batch of boards for Raspberry Pi will be completed on February 20, a "commercial" version of the $25/$35 credit card-sized computer was revealed for a 3Q12 release. Co-creator David Braben is hoping this will be the actual public release timeframe given the team doesn't endure additional delays as reported earlier this week.
"We've not got a pre-order [system] for the commercial one yet because we need to determine the price, determine roughly when it's going to be," he told Eurogamer. "We have a good idea that it will be sort of in Q3 this year, but we can't be certain. There are a lot of variables in terms of what we need to get ready. We don't know completely but we're moving very quickly."
According to the FAQ, the initial run of boards slated to launch this month will be 10,000 uncased development-style boards with further productions runs starting once these have been sold. Later on this summer, the team plans to sell Raspberry Pi with and without a case.
The educational release is scheduled to launch sometime around 3Q12 (as Braben indicated) , and will come with a kid-targeted software stack, a heap of written support materials, and a standard case. The FAQ doesn't mention anything about a "commercial" or "consumer" version.
Eben Upton, executive director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, sent over an explanation in regards to the boards offered this month, and the "commercial" version slated for later this year.
"Anyone will be able to buy model A and model B units, uncased, at the $25 and $35 price points from launch, with a Debian or Fedora software stack," he told Tom's. "Later in the year, we intend to add a case and a polished educational software stack; we hope to squeeze the cased version into the same price point, and we expect that educational users and people who wish to use the board as a home media center will choose this package in the long term."
"The 'consumer release' that Eurogamer is talking about is actually the educational release," reads the latest Raspberry Pi update. Raspberry Pi also reassures everyone that model A will be $25 and model B will cost $35. These prices will not change.
"Price is such an important part of what we’re doing in trying to change the way people use computers that we’d be totally, totally mad to move the price point," the website states. "The educational release’s case will not add to the price if we can possibly help it."
To learn more about the two Raspberry Pi models, head here.
