The BBC has announced its micro:bit computer, due to be given to one million schoolchildren in October to boost interest in coding, has been delayed. An issue with its power supply means it will now be sent out after Christmas.
The pocket-sized codeable computer is the BBC's most ambitious education initiative for 30 years. In the 1980s, the BBC launched the Micro, which introduced many children to computing. The BBC hopes the Micro Bit will equip a new generation with the digital skills they need to find jobs and help grow the UK economy as the UK is facing a skills shortage in the technology sector.
The problem is said to have affected a small number of devices, but the priority was making sure it was as robust and reliable as possible. "We're expecting to start sending them out to teachers before Christmas and to children early in the New Year," a BBC spokesman said.
Author
Tom Austin-Morgan
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk