There is a lot in what you say.You might be right but, choosing a raspberry pi over other alternatives even for the most basic computing activities like the ones you mention, still requires more work compared to a chromebook or a mini PC which comes with everything that you need to just plug and play. And let's be honest, these machines will be much more powerful than a Raspberry Pi. A Raspberry Pi is not a plug and play computer (some claim that it is, but i reject that claim). It requires extra components to be a half-viable alternative. Even as simple as a "box" to put it into, is required unless you like your motherboard laying on the table all naked, subject to all kinds of trouble. A power supply (even this might be a problem if you don't get the official one). A cooling solution (absolutely required to prevent throttling). A storage medium to boot it. A "hat" to be able to connect a non-usb SSD (which are third party??????). All these things are not necessary for the alternatives, they come with all these things built in.I don't think it's that underpowered. For the usual things you do, it works great. You can't render 4k video with high bitrate and play AAA games. But surf around the net, check email and watch some movies, listen to music. Isn't that what 90% do anyway?
Yes it is. That is what i am trying to tell you. It is underpowered and it is cheap. It is small and its energy footprint is also small. These are the reasons why people buy a RPI.
Let's be honest again, for daily computing activities, just get a cheap laptop, a chromebook, or a mini-PC. I wouldn't want any of my friends or family members, relatives to bother with a Pi for any such computing needs. RPI 5 came out almost a year ago now and they still did not release a "500" version like in the Pi4. If there was such a product, maybe then i could say "well there is also that" but i would still not recommend it, as it will still be lower in the ranking in terms of computing power. It can't compete.
At the end of the day, any computer can be used for any kind of purpose if you really try, and that is the case for RPI desktop. It was created to teach computer science to kids and then it took of as a multi-purpose small unit for corporations to buy in bulk and put to use, which really is the sole reason that RPI still exists today. It became a commercial success for very different reasons. It was never intended to become a desktop computer.
I myself have several computers, Intel NUC 11, Intel NUC 13 and a gaming computer. Then I have a lot of SBCs too. 3 Radxa Rock 5B and 3 RPi5. Some 4s and some 3s.
But with that said, I'm often on an SBC and usually don't need more. What I like about the SBC is the lightness, and mine is always on. For me, the fun with computers has come back with SBCs. I've been working with computers for over 20 years and before SBCs it started to get boring. And it doesn't look any better today on more ordinary computers. My opinion then!
Of course it is possible to build computers and get the fun back. But graphics cards, CPUs and everything else you need cost a lot of money. SBCs are just the right amount of fiddling. Costs, just right to buy and have fun with.
Statistics: Posted by Olydnad_SWE — Thu Oct 24, 2024 6:01 am