The low-cost Raspberry Pi Linux computer is set to become available for purchase later this month for $35. The firm behind the budget computer announced on Monday that the first batch of boards will enter manufacturing on February 20th and will be available at the end of the month. The single-board computer is equipped with a 700MHz processor, 256MB of RAM, SD card support and both HDMI and RCA outputs. Despite the low cost and small size — which is roughly equal to a credit card — the Raspberry Pi computer is powerful enough to run games such as Quake III Arena and power 1080p video, however the company intends for the device to be used in schools to teach the basics of computer science. A second Raspberry Pi model with 128MB of RAM will be released for $25 at a later date.

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Not long ago we published a story about Raspberry Pi, a $35 Linux-based single board computer that is still in development. Now, a Model B version of the device is being demoed and it shows off the small computer’s AirPlay streaming capabilities. The video shows one of Raspberry Pi’s developers using an iPad to stream a video clip to the Raspberry Pi Model B device using AirPlay without a hitch. The developers behind the tiny and affordable computer have said they hope the gadget will eventually be used in schools, although it’s still unclear when the company will begin shipping devices to consumers. A video of Model B working seamlessly with AirPlay follows after the break.

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The Raspberry Pi Foundation is preparing to launch a new ultra-affordable Linux-powered computer next month that is the size of a credit card. It’s so affordable, in fact, that it will cost just $25 or $35, depending on how much RAM the buyer requires. In an interview with Edge, Raspberry Pi Foundation head David Braben said, despite the size and low cost, the Raspberry Pi computer is powerful enough to run games such as Quake III Arena and power 1080p video. The company will launch just 10,000 units to developers next month, mostly in the United Kingdom. “At the moment we’re appealing to techy people because we want people to give their time for free, writing software and improving things, porting them from other places, and putting them into the public domain, essentially, so we can use them for education,” Braben said, noting that he hopes to turn the developer board into a consumer-friendly device next year. The Raspberry Pi is equipped with a 700MHz processor, 128MB or 256MB of RAM, support for an SD card, and both HDMI and RCA outputs.

Read [Raspberry Pi Foundation] Read [Edge]

Apple will refresh its MacBook Air line of computers on July 19th, iClarified reported on Wednesday. We began to suspect the update was imminent when early reports suggested that global supplies for the computer were in short supply in late May. Those reports were solidified earlier this week when stock of the MacBook Air at Best Buy and Amazon was depleted. The device is expected to pack the new Thunderbolt I/O port in place of DisplayPort, Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors, and the brand new OS X Lion operating system. 9to5 Mac said that Apple will likely offer Intel’s 1.8GHz Intel Core i7, 1.7GHz Core i7, and the 1.7GHz Core i5 in its new machines. We love the current design of the MacBook Air, and rumor has it that there won’t be any hardware tweaks. We suppose that could mean the rumored anodized black version will never see the light of day. The good news is the long wait is nearly over.

Read [9to5 Mac] Read [iClarified]

Apple is poised to release updated models of its Mac Pro and Mac mini computers at the end of July or the first week of August, according to Tweets from one CNET editor. Both families are expected to be updated with Intel Sandy Bridge processors as well as the new Thunderbolt I/O ports. Unfortunately, there still isn’t a whole lot of information on what other hardware or changes will be offered in the refresh, but CNET does say that the new computers will be preloaded with OS X Lion. The rumor is in line with the Cupertino-based firm’s past refresh history: Apple last updated its Mac Pro line on July 27th, when it introduced its new 12-core models, and the Mac mini was last refreshed on June 15th, 2010.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

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BGR’s Throwback Thursday segment is typically reserved for extinct tech, but this week we make an exception. On June 16th, 1911 — one hundred years ago today — Charles Ranlett Flint merged three companies to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. Headquartered in New York City, CTR manufactured and sold scales, card-punch machines, meat slicers and a variety of other products that have long since been replaced by several generations of improved offerings. CTR changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, on February 14th, 1924, to better align its name with its wide range of products. IBM would hit its stride building tabulating devices, and it was at the forefront of developing the PCs we now take for granted. Now, 100 years later with a market capitalization of just under $200 billion, IBM remains a leader in the technology space, producing software and hardware that will shape the future of computing. Happy 100th, IBM, and here’s to 100 more.

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

Today is the day that Apple CEO Steve Jobs and other executives will unveil the next advancements out of the industry’s leading innovator at WWDC 2011. While Apple has already announced that the company will be talking about three different main products — iOS 5, iCloud, and Mac OS X Lion — the fact is, Apple once again could possibly change (and influence) the entire way we use computers and mobile devices. Let’s look at iCloud, for example: if Apple is able to transition the device-centric approach to how we work with information and apps to a task-centric approach where the PowerPoint presentation you’re working on is what matters, and not what computer or tablet or smartphone you’re editing it from, that in itself a huge move forward in computing. Other companies have been trying to accomplish this for years, but we having a feeling that Apple is about to show us the beginnings of something so seamless, it really could find mass adoption, unlike most current solutions. Add in music, photos, videos, and your documents, and you should be able to pick up any computer or device and have access to all of your information and data from wherever you are. Coupled with a rumored Airport Extreme and TimeCapsule refresh in which the devices will run iOS and a feature an A4 or A5 processor, and all of your data could sit on one of your own devices and it would use your own internet connection to serve up your files directly to you. Lastly, what if iCloud allowed you to just walk up to any iOS or Mac computer and let you sign in, sit down, and practically act as if though it was your device or computer? What if Apple then implements this using NFC in the next iPhone — just place your iDevice next to a Mac computer, and it will instantly be transformed into your computer. Hit the break for more!

In iOS 5, Apple is rumored to have drastically redone a major pain-point for users: notifications. Though I’m sure Apple will show off redone notifications in iOS 5, I think it will be much, much more that that — iOS 5 will be the biggest change since the introduction of iOS in 2007. While Mac OS X Lion is all about simplifying and taking advantage of all the innovative things Apple has done to get rid of the frustrating experience of using a computer, I think iOS 5 will be about making iOS even more powerful, and a platform that will be capable of one day being a standalone computer operating system. Also, what if Apple decides that they’ve had enough with 3rd parties making messaging systems? They never introduced a real version of iChat, what if they created their own messaging network, not unlike BlackBerry Messenger? They have to see how valuable and useful all of these messaging services are. Additionally, iOS 5 should eliminate the need to sync your device — it’s all tied to your iCloud account. Your device is backed up and synced wirelessly, applications update in the background, OS updates are delivered wirelessly, and if you ever lose or replace a device, just sign in, and all your data is populated and everything is back.

With Mac OS X Lion, Apple will introduce features that make the Mac even more enjoyable to use. It will make people look back on the fact we had to save files — really, if you think about it, it’s insane that we’re forced to manage the data on a computer and make sure it’s saved and backed up — and make them feel like we were all living in the stone age. The entire philosophy of Apple is to offer the user a window and let everything else melt away and get out of the way. OS X Lion does that more so than any other OS X release, and it makes computing easier and more enjoyable for everybody.

I know Apple set expectations that we won’t be seeing any major hardware announcements, but a part of me does think it’s possible we’ll see an iPhone announcement of some sort. A guy can dream, right?

Microsoft on Thursday revealed its back-to-school offer for 2011, which is likely to drop students’ jaws and raise parents’ eyebrows at the same time. This year, students with a valid student ID who purchase a Windows 7 computer for $699 or more will receive a free Xbox 360 4GB video game console. “A hot new Windows 7-based PC with a free Xbox 360 is the ultimate productivity, social and entertainment package for students,” said Kathleen Hall, general manager of Windows Marketing at Microsoft, in a statement. “In one shot, with this great offer, Microsoft is giving students everything they need for a successful new school year.” We’re not sure how much the Xbox offer will help students with their school work, but it will definitely help them blow off some steam and avoid burning out while still managing to save them some money. The deal becomes available to students starting this Sunday, May 22nd. Hit the break for Microsoft’s full press release.

Microsoft Announces New Back-to-School Offer for Students

REDMOND, Wash. — May 19, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a new offer for students who purchase a new Windows 7-based PC. Starting May 22, students buying a new Windows 7-based PC priced at $699 (U.S.) or more will also get a free Xbox 360 4GB console. Students will be able to choose from the wide range of stylish, powerful and innovative Windows 7-based PCs to find the one that’s right for them based on the features, color, size and price they want. The offer is available at participating retailers for current students in the U.S. while supplies last. Similar student-focused offers will be coming soon in Canada and France.

“A hot new Windows 7-based PC with a free Xbox 360 is the ultimate productivity, social and entertainment package for students,” said Kathleen Hall, general manager of Windows Marketing at Microsoft. “In one shot, with this great offer, Microsoft is giving students everything they need for a successful new school year.”

Today’s Windows 7-based PCs come in a wide variety of styles, sizes and colors, and many new PCs boast built-in Blu-ray drives, 3G connections and leading-edge technologies, such as 3-D displays and multitouch-capable screens. With more than 1 million devices and apps that work with a Windows 7-based PC, students’ smartphones, printers, digital music players and cameras will work with their PCs with ease right out of the box. With the addition of Microsoft Office 2010 for Home and Student with OneNote, students can create presentations for class, take and organize digital notes, manage group projects and assignments, and easily stay on top of class schedules. And with an Xbox 360, students can not only have fun gaming but also can enjoy a range of entertainment options, including streaming videos, sports, music and more.

To take advantage of this offer, students or parents must provide valid student identification as defined by the participating retailer. More information about this offer can be found at http://www.windows.com/freebox.

Asustek Computer is promising to increase monthly production runs of its versatile Eee Pad Transformer tablet. Citing strong demand in the U.S., UK, Taiwan and China, the company will extend production totals from 8,000 units per month to 10,000 units per month. The company also has the lofty goal of manufacturing 300,000 Transformer tablets in the second quarter; with aspirations of shipping 2 million tablets in 2011. The Transformer, which connects to a dockable keyboard, retails for $399 and comes with 16GB of on-board storage.

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Looking to scoop up one of Apple’s ultra-light notebook offerings? You may want to hold on to your wallet for a few more weeks. According to the latest report, Apple is preparing to update the notebook line in the not-too-distant future. “The Taiwan-based supply chain for Apple products will begin shipments of new 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air models featuring Sandy Bridge platform and Thunderbolt interface in late May for launch in June or July,” reads a report filed by DigiTimes. The article goes on to note that the updated Air will be assembled by Quanta Computer, with Catcher Technology, Auras Technology, Shin Zu Shing, Simplo Technology, and Dynapack all supplying components. The report echos earlier prognostications made by Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The current iterations of the MacBook Air were first revealed in October of 2010, just 7-months ago.

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PlayOn on Wednesday announced the availability of a new API that makes building channels for the company’s streaming video service easier than ever. PlayOn’s new “dead simple” PlayDirect API allows partners to create new channels by simply specifying a URL for the video feed and then selecting the video’s viewable area. Since making the new API available just two days ago, PlayOn has already added 25 new channels including Food Network, Disney Channel Live, Lifetime and TV Land, which are now available to stream to computers and mobile devices. “By opening up the PlayOn technology platform to third party developers, we are able to expand the content available to PlayOn users,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Just like Apple’s app store brought new features and functionality to the iPhone, we plan on seeing a host of new channels in PlayOn.”

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According to a new report issued by Canalys today, the global PC market grew 7% during the first quarter of this year – largely fueled by tablets. There were 88.6 million PC shipments during the quarter, up from 82.8 million during the same quarter last year. HP had a 66% share of the shipments, followed by Acer (12.8%), Dell (11.3%), Apple (9.5%), Lenovo (9.2%), and others (40.6%). “Apple set the standard in the pad market, mainly at the expense of notebook and netbook shipments, as pads competed for a share of consumer IT spend,” Canalys said, noting that Apple’s iPad products accounted for 74% of the 6.4 million tablets shipped globally in Q1. “The [tablet] represents a real threat to PC and consumer electronics vendors, as it is capable of replacing devices in a range of other categories,” Tim Coulling, a Canalys analyst, said. Hit the jump for the full release.

Worldwide PC market up 7% as pads fuel growth

– Apple cements its position amongst top 5 PC vendors
Palo Alto, Singapore and Reading (UK) – 28 April 2011

Canalys today announced that the PC market grew 7% in Q1 2011, as the pad market, led by Apple’s iPad, continued to bolster growth. Once again, Apple set the standard in the pad market, mainly at the expense of notebook and netbook shipments, as pads competed for a share of consumer IT spend.

During the first quarter of this year, pad shipments reached 6.4 million units worldwide. Apple accounted for 74% of these shipments, while other vendors struggled to bring competitive products to market. Canalys expects that next quarter will see a significant change in the market, with products appearing from Acer, Asus, LG and RIM.

Apple continued with its strategy to dominate the pad market, with the iPad or iPad 2 available in 59 markets by the end of Q1. A combination of strong Q4 sales and the announcement of the iPad 2’s launch across major markets at the end of March contributed to Apple’s iPad shipments being down 31% sequentially. The full impact of the iPad 2 launch will not register until subsequent quarters, as Apple gets the product into the hands of consumers. While pad sales continued to lift Apple’s results, PC vendors with a focus on the consumer netbook and notebook market, such as Acer and Asus, did not fare so well.

Overstocked retail channels and unsteady consumer confidence in major European countries and the United States cast a shadow over the potential for notebook market growth during the remainder of 2011. Likewise, the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan led to an 8% slowdown in the local PC market there. The natural disasters also contributed to supply chain disruption and uncertainty – highlighted in many IT vendors’ quarterly financial reports – the consequences of which will continue to be felt in the second half of the year.

‘Taking into consideration the iPad’s ‘halo effect’ on the company’s other products, Apple has grown considerably in most markets worldwide,’ said Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling. ‘As the iPad 2 and its competitors continue to roll out, we expect pad sales to propel PC market growth for the rest of the year.’

The findings of a recent consumer survey by Canalys show that current pad usage resembles that of a PC, rather than a media player or e-book reader. After web browsing, both pad owners and non-owners in Western Europe, linked pad usage to e-mail/messaging and social networking. Among pad owners, all three categories rated much higher than e-book reading and video watching. Non-owners, however, expected e-mail/messaging, e-book reading, and video watching to top pad usage after web browsing.[1]

At least 10% of Western European pad owners surveyed by Canalys claimed to use over 24 different application categories, spread across communications, entertainment, leisure/lifestyle and financial/business. Educational apps were the only exception, only used by about 8% of pad owners.

iPad owners used a significantly wider range of categories than other pad users. The most popular apps among non-iPad owners tended to be relatively functional ones, such as e-mail, social networking, news and banking. While iPad owners also used these apps, they reported a much higher use of general web browsing and video consumption.

Feedback from potential pad owners shows how pad marketing campaigns, some of which refer to the devices as ‘media tablets’, have influenced their perceptions. In reality, pads have a wide range of uses. While browsing, for example, does include finding and consuming content, it also includes many other activities.

‘This broad usage pattern reinforces the pad’s role as a general-purpose computing device, and much more than just a consumption device,’ said Coulling. ‘The pad represents a real threat to PC and consumer electronics vendors, as it is capable of replacing devices in a range of other categories.’

Canalys attributes differences between iPad and non-iPad users to screen size, user experience, and app inventory. While the iPad has a 10″ screen, a large proportion of other pads have 7″ screens. There is evidence from video service providers, such as MobiTV, that the time consumers spend watching video on different devices is directly proportional to screen size. Non-iPad users’ choice of e-book reading over video watching as the most valuable app by four times as many respondents supports this conclusion.

‘Vendors should continue to promote content consumption as an important benefit of pads, especially as ownership spreads to older consumers, while highlighting other uses of the device and preloading advanced browsers and localized messaging and social networking apps,’ said Canalys Chief Analyst Adam Daum. ‘Pad app stores also need to offer a broader inventory of both apps and content designed to take full advantage of a pad’s size and functionality.’

‘Beyond a one-stop sales opportunity, content and apps provide vendors with the chance to drive new revenue streams,’ said Daum. ‘Apple’s ecosystem suggests that pad owners will generate substantially higher average revenue from app and content sales than smart phone users. Through a combination of appropriate device marketing and app store strategy, device vendors can use apps and content to build customer loyalty.’

Nokia on Wednesday released an update to its Nokia Software Updater client for the Macintosh platform via its Nokia Beta Labs portal. The new bits will allow Mac users to update their Nokia phones’ firmware directly from their computers — as opposed to over-the-air. Nokia warns that the software is still in the development phase and that it will keep the trial going until further notice. The company hopes that users will provide feedback as they use the software, paving the way for future optimizations and updates. Other details on the software are slim, but hit the jump if you’re a Mac user looking to get the latest software goodness on your Nokia phone.

[Via Phone Scoop]

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According to Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker, HP personal computers will begin pulling double in the very near future. “Starting next year, every one of the PCs shipped by HP will include the ability to run WebOS in addition to Microsoft Corp.’s Windows,” said Apotheker. HP’s chief is trying to incentivize developers to create software for his company’s acquired platform, which he sees running on HP phones, computers, and printers. Currently, software comprises 2.2% of the company’s sales portfolio — 70% is generated by hardware and 27% from services. Apotheker, a former SAP employee, quips, “I happen to know something about software,” and goes on to note that he is looking to create “a massive platform.” Since taking over as CEO, Apotheker has increased the research and development budget of the company — now at close to $3 billion annually — and has been on a whirlwind tour of HP’s global offices. It’s a bold vision, and we’re pretty excited to see how it pans out.

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For this week’s Throwback Thursday we’re venturing back to the year 2000. A time when the Y2K scare was in full swing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was floating around 5,000, and the Power Mac G4 Cube was hot technology.

First sold in 2000, Apple’s Power Mac G4 Cube came standard with a 450MHz PowerPC G4 processor, 128MB of RAM, 24X CD-ROM drive, 20GB hard drive, and 16MB ATI graphics card. The computer was popular amongst Mac enthusiasts due to is svelte form — 9-inches tall, 8-inches wide, and 8-inches deep — fan-less operation, and unique speakers. Like all things Apple, there was a premium that had to be paid for such a compact and dapper machine; the Cube’s base price was $1599 (CPU only).

While popular amongst die-hard Mac fans, the device never really achieved mainstream success and in 2001 the Cube was retired. Since the computer’s sunsetting, instructions have surfaced online explaining how to turn the Cube’s external case into a host of other things… including a fish bowl.

Anyone out there ever invest in a G4 Cube?

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.