The $35 credit-card-sized computer that democratized programming education and powered millions of DIY projects.
Educational Mission
Launched February 2012 by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the original Model B ($35) aimed to revive computer science education in UK schools. Inspired by 1980s BBC Micros and Commodore 64s, it provided a full Linux computer cheap enough for every student. Early adopters were hobbyists and educators who appreciated the GPIO pins for hardware projects.
Maker Movement Icon
Raspberry Pi became the heart of the maker movement. People built retro gaming consoles (RetroPie), home automation systems, network-attached storage, media centers (Kodi), and thousands of creative projects. The Pi 2 (2015) and Pi 3 (2016) added power and WiFi. Over 30 million units sold by 2019. The low cost and active community made it the go-to platform for prototyping and learning.
Commercial and Industrial Adoption
Beyond hobbyists, businesses used Raspberry Pis for digital signage, industrial monitoring, and embedded applications. The Pi 4 (2019) offered desktop-class performance with 8GB RAM option. Pandemic shortages (2021-2022) revealed how critical Pis had become to industrial supply chains. By 2023, over 50 million units sold, proving the viability of affordable computing for education, experimentation, and production.
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