Some websites have gotten wind of an extremely small new device that only consists of the bare essentials needed to run a computer. After months of research and updates from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a release date has been set for the new device.

Dubbed “Raspberry Pi,” this skeleton of a computer is about the size of a credit card and has no outer casing. The innards of the computer make up the entire device, leaving the user with purchasing any needed storage, keyboard, mouse and screen.

Although extra hardware is needed to use the Raspberry Pi, the computer includes USB and SD ports, RCA and HDMI video output jacks for different viewing options, an Ethernet input port and an audio jack for sound. So if you had the extra essentials to add onto the Raspberry Pi, you could ideally have a full working computer.

But of course, because of the small make-up and low price (between $25 and $35), the computer comes with 128 MB of storage and 256 MB of RAM. Obviously, this cheap alternative to normal laptops or tablets isn’t for everyone. In fact, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is making an effort to specifically target other non-profit foundations, charities and underprivileged countries to bring this technology to help others learn.

So because this presents a great opportunity for users to nab a cheap computer that will compute, one has to wonder exactly how this foundation can afford to make and sell a device so cheap. It is a computer, after all.

Because of its small size and intricate parts, the Raspberry Pi comes fully assembled – a disappointment to some developers that want to explore the device. But assembling the small parts successfully is a tedious task that can easily be messed up. For example, a specific amount of solder must be applied to each dot on the memory chips, which are about the size of a pin point. Machines are used to apply the solder where needed and assemble the computer system before shipment, but room for error is large.

I don’t want to come off negative, because the underlying goal of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s mission is great and could potentially help many people. But the cheapest computers available on the market average around $200, so how can someone afford to really cut costs that much?

Bottom line – this “computer” is not for everyone, or even most people for that matter. But this device is being manufactured and sold for a good cause and does actually qualify as a working computer. In the long run, the Raspberry Pi will hopefully help close the world’s technological gap.