BBC Micro:bit delayed by power supply SNAFU

The BBC has admitted that the Micro:bit, the computer it plans to give to up to one million children, is not going to arrive on time due to quality problems.

The Micro:bit was announced in March as a "get kids coding" initiative. Delivery was anticipated to occur in September, so that every 11 or 12 year-old in the UK could be given the computer to spur them into digital classroom action .

By July the corporation revealed the device's spec and a revised "late October" release schedule.

Yesterday, the Beeb admitted that things are off the rails and that delivery can be expected "after Christmas".

An issue with the device's power supply is the reason for the delay. Which is fair enough as it's all very well to teach kids to hack, but not if they learn what it's like to cop a jolt from the device's batteries along the way.

The Micro:bit is a conscious revival of the BBC's efforts in the 1980s when it created the BBC Micro and promoted it, and the idea of programming, through radio and television programs. ®