BBC micro:bit goes on sale today for £12.99

Distributor element14 has a 15 month contract to manufacture and distribute micro:bit in the UK. It also has plans to sell the product overseas at some stage.

Element14 is announcing pre-order facilities for consumers and will be the exclusive distributor for resellers and organisations looking to purchase the BBC micro:bit in quantities of 90 or above.

Prices range from £12.99 for a single BBC micro:bit; £14.99 for the starter kit ‘BBC micro:bit Go’, which includes a BBC micro:bit, mini USB, battery pack and four project ideas to get users started; and £140.00 for a ‘BBC micro:bit Club’ pack, which includes 10 devices and everything needed to get a coding club started.

Richard Curtin, Strategic Alliance Director at element14 said:

“Following the initial distribution to one million year 7 school children through the BBC’s Make it Digital programme, we are gearing up our supply chain and manufacturing to make these devices available to buy.”

Curtin said the distributor would use its experience of selling Raspberry Pi to build an ecosystem of accessories and programming projects for the BBC micro:bit

“We are very excited about making this product available to buy in the UK and anticipate massive demand from parents, teachers and makers alike.”

As well as element14, micro:bit can also be pre-ordered from: the Microsoft Store, Technology Will Save Us, Kitronik and Sciencescope and other resellers.

“ARM became one of the first BBC micro:bit partners as we instantly recognised its potential to excite children about coding,” said Simon Segars, CEO, ARM.

“The micro:bit has the potential to transform public interest in computing in the same way the original ARM-based BBC Micro did. We want it to reach the broadest possible audience and making it commercially available will enable its influence to spread.”

“This announcement marks the next big step in making coding accessible in the UK,” said Martin Woolley, technical program manager at Bluetooth SIG, who created the Micro:bit Bluetooth Profile as part of the original project.

“Putting the BBC micro:bit initially into the hands of a million UK schoolchildren was a fantastic way to give the next generation their first taste of coding. But opening up access to the general public is even more exciting. It takes the micro:bit out of the classroom and into the home. Now everyone in the UK, regardless of their capability, can improve their coding skills and start taking advantage of the multiple capabilities and wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, which the micro:bit has to offer.”

Geoff Hampson, co-founder and director of Kitronik commented:

“We have seen some fantastic projects from students and teachers up and down the country since the BBC micro:bit was delivered to schools in March. In my opinion, making the device available for schools and the public to buy will hugely expand the reach of the device, help whole families get creative with coding and be music to the ears of hobbyists who have been itching to get their hands on the device since its launch. People will now be able to pair their Arduino, Galileo, Kano, littleBits and Raspberry Pi to the BBC micro:bit which will lead to the development of all manner of creations!”