Pine64
More info
- Released
- 2015–
- Type
- Hardware (SBCs, laptops, phones)
A hardware maker that sells cheap ARM gadgets and leaves the software to the community.
It began with a 2015 Kickstarter for the Pine A64, a $15 single-board computer built on an Allwinner chip and aimed squarely at the Raspberry Pi. The range has since grown to include the Pinebook laptop, the PinePhone, the PineTime smartwatch and several RISC-V boards. The PinePhone Pro moved to a Rockchip SoC.
The business model is unusual: devices are sold close to cost and the company writes almost no software of its own. Operating systems, drivers and user interfaces come from volunteer projects. That keeps the hardware cheap and open, and also half-finished for anyone expecting a phone rather than a hobby. The comparison with Purism is unavoidable: same goal, inverted price tag.