Tech geeks all over the world, meet Chip, the ultra-small and ultra-performant computer. Chip appeared as a startup on Kickstarter and was launched on the market for only $9.
Crowd-funding allowed finances for the project that aims to sell technological performance for no less than a bargain. Of course the giants like Apple can continue to produce high-end devices, but for those of us with small budgets, an alternative arose.
CHIP is a Raspberry-Pi based device that can be connected to peripherals such as a keyboard and a monitor and can be connected to the internet via Wi-Fi.
Pi is another startup that launched a similar device, sold for $35. They are actually the ones who brought the concept of micro-pc on the market. Now CHIP is taking over with better specs and a better price.
Pi and CHIP are rather similar when it comes to certain features. They are built around and ARM chip and come with Bluetooth 4.0. Chip runs a version of Linux.
In terms of specs, CHIP has 512 MB of RAM internal memory and 4GB of built-in storage. Allwiner is the company responsible to create a processor for CHIP. The Allwiner R8 Cortex A8 processor has Mali-400 graphics, 512 RAM and 4GB storage. The savvies say this is better than the Raspberry Pi model. Also, CHIP only measures 2.3 inches by 5 inches.
These guys had a great idea to start with. They sell performance for a dime, wrap it in a package that can be easily carried out in a pocket and they plan on going big by saving money from component costs. Allwiner, the provider for their 1Ghz processor is a very low-cost producer of chips for tablets and computers. Even though not many people have heard about this brand, HP are known to work with them in providing chips for their HP 7 G2 Android tablet.
The business strategy behind the CHIP computer lays in investing money for components coming in large quantities, to get serious discounts from suppliers. To gather the budgets needed for investment in its production costs, the guys from CHIP started a crowd-funding initiative on Kickstarter.
Their idea became rather popular among tech users, as more than 700.000$ were raised to crowd-fund the project. More than 7.600 people have contributed to the project with 25 days still remaining to raise even larger sums of money and create awareness.
It seems that many people are interested in owning a cheap device that shows itself as advanced in performance.
However, adjusting the performance of CHIP can translate into a bigger selling price. Also, shipping everywhere outside US can raise the total cost of the device.
Kickstarter helps out an idea set to launch on a market that’s turning into a conglomerate of small but powerful computers. The main differentiation when it comes to CHIP lays in its small price compared to the quality and performance it delivers.
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