You cant get hold of a Raspberry Pi, so youre looking at other single-board computers (SBCs).
In fact, the affordable SBC marketplace is huge, which means you should have plenty of options.
But do you really want to swap the Raspberry Pi for a competitor gadget?
What Raspberry Pi Alternatives Are Available?
A wealth of alternative single-board computers are available to buy.
Now, any board manufacturer with the desire to supplant the Raspberry Pi is in with a chance.
Our guide toRaspberry Pi alternativeswill provide a picture of what is available.
Beyond this, some strongRaspberry Pi competitorshave entered the market as potential usurpers.
Checking approved resellers, its a depressing story.
And that isnt even the worst problem trying to buy a Raspberry Pi at the moment.
However, it’s not all bad news.
The Price of Raspberry Pi Has Skyrocketed
As well as supply being low, the price is high.
Two years later and the price is closer to $80.
This is a pattern that can be seen across the entire range of later-generation Raspberry Pis.
If a Pi is available to buy, the price is far higher than originally stated.
Its the law of supply and demand in action, where demand exceeding supply causes prices to rise.
Even the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, released in 2021, is hard to source.
The fact that the Raspberry Pi 4 misses this key hardware is disappointing.
Its a shortcoming that has to be resolved if the Raspberry Pi 5 ever appears.
Competitor Boards Are Racing Ahead
It isnt just eMMC where Raspberry Pi falls behind.
Many of the new features that are introduced on each revision are several years old when they arrive.
The rationale given is that these improvements are now affordable.
When it comes to competitor boards, many of these are available without waiting in a queue.
Originally launching as Raspbian, Raspberry Pi OS has evolved the computing experience on the Raspberry Pi.
However, other OSs now provide a better desktop experience.
For example, all versions ofUbuntu can run on a Raspberry Pi.
However, the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 4 came with a range of head-scratching issues.
While the issue was eventually resolved with a firmware update, the fact it got through QC still rankles.
The short-lived Raspberry Pi 4 1GB model also raised questions.
Canceled in 2020, the board seemed pointless when sold alongside 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB models.
You really dont want your sensitive police equipment discovered, so Id disguise it as something else.
The variety of tools and equipment I used then really shaped what I do today.
Responses from Raspberry Pis followers on Twitter and Mastodon wereless than favorable.
The Influential Raspberry Pi Isnt the Only SBC Around
Weve enjoyed 10 years of the Raspberry Pi.
In that time, the mini-computer has revolutionized everything from computer education to retro gaming and robotics.
The Raspberry Pi has been hugely influential, with many copycat devices around.
