The Raspberry Pi was designed to put an affordable computer into the hands of young programers. Since then, it has gone on to be used in all kinds of interesting projects, and has even found its place in the home of casual users as a media center. Now, the team is launching a new model called the Raspberry Pi Model B+, which brings some key improvements to the hardware while keeping the same US$35 price tag.
A key thing to point out is that this isn't a Raspberry Pi 2. Instead, it's more of an incremental update that makes some improvements without too many huge changes. While the original Model B had two USB 2.0 ports, the new one has four, which allows further expandability with devices like mice, keyboards, Wi-Fi adapters and so on. It also has a larger GPIO header featuring 40 pins, compared to the 26 on the original. This allows the Pi to be used more creatively with other hardware.
The aforementioned changes are the bigger ones, but there are some smaller tweaks that also improve the functionality of the Pi. For example, a new micro SD socket has been added, making it easier to pull it in and out. Power consumption is reduced, and audio quality has also been improved thanks to a low-noise power supply.
While the new model is available right now, the original Model B will remain in production for as long there is demand. This is important for industrial customers who need to use the original model. Users interested in buying a Raspberry Pi Model B+ can do so from the same retailers where the original Model B was sold.
The video below introduces the Raspberry Pi Model B+.
Source: Raspberry Pi
