Revamped Raspberry Pi OS
Raspberry Pi OS has undergone a refresh, much like a friend’s living room after a holiday weekend wielding a paintbrush. It’s now at version 6.3, as of September 2026, but don’t get too obsessed with the numbers; they aren’t making a big deal of it. What they are making a fuss over is the desktop GUI. The outdated, Windows-style taskbar is a thing of the past. You now have a dock at the bottom, a full-screen app launcher, or both options. We tried them out, but unfortunately, there’s no vertical dock choice – a significant disappointment for those saving those valuable vertical pixels. If you lean towards the vertical layout like I do, you’ll need to switch to X11 via the raspi-config command. Sure, Raspberry Pi Connect will be missed, but you’ll acquire a lovely vertical LXDE taskbar. It seems the focus is on the younger generation these days, keeping them satisfied with interfaces reminiscent of their smartphone displays.
Beneath the Surface: Wayland and Kernel Insights
Beneath the attractive exterior, all the Wayland desktop components have received some refinement. Labwc and wlroots are now at version 0.20. Meanwhile, the Linux kernel remains at version 6.18. Pi OS feels agile and light but doesn’t quite deliver the performance it once did. A bit like me after indulging in a few too many pints post-workout.
Soaring Costs: RAM and Kernel Restrictions
Now, let’s discuss the topic on everyone’s mind: RAM costs. When we looked at the SpacemiT K3 in June, an 8 GB Raspberry Pi 5 was already pricey. Fast forward, and the 16 GB variant is near extortionate at £292.80 in the UK. Mike Thompson, the creator behind Raspbian, even expressed his frustrations on Twitter. He’s upset that young programmers will be priced out as AI consumes all the RAM. Can’t fault him. It’s frustrating enough to make you want to grab a soldering iron, rip out some RAM from an old gadget, and attempt an upgrade.
Firmware Limitation Issues
Then there’s the firmware aspect. Raspberry Pi’s Phil Elwell revealed that they’ve imposed a limitation on RAM upgrades. No unauthorized upgrades for you. They’re securing devices to their original RAM configurations to maintain fairness, but it’s likely to annoy a few DIY enthusiasts. Hackaday’s Arya Voronova hit the nail on the head – if you’re clever enough to replace RAM, downgrading a bootloader isn’t overly complex.
Conclusion: The Pi-ntless Reality
So, don’t lose sleep over the locked RAM issue. Ultimately, not many were making these upgrades anyway, besides a few sketchy eBay sellers. Despite all the commotion, your reliable Raspberry Pi isn’t quite destined for the tech graveyard just yet. Keep experimenting, but watch those prices!
