The Raspberry Pi revolution: a $35 computer that changed education

2012

In the early 2000s, professors at Cambridge University noticed a disturbing trend. Students applying to study computer science were less skilled than a decade before. In the 1990s, applicants had programmed on BBC Micros and Amigas, cheap computers that booted straight into a programming environment. By 2005, applicants had only used Word and browsers on expensive family PCs that parents wouldn't let them tinker with.

Eben Upton and his colleagues at the Cambridge Computer Lab decided to build a cheap, hackable computer that kids could experiment with without fear of breaking the family PC. It needed to be cheap enough that destroying it wouldn't matter.

The first Raspberry Pi launched on February 29, 2012. It cost $35, was the size of a credit card, and could run Linux. It had HDMI output, USB ports, GPIO pins for connecting to electronics, and enough power to browse the web or write code. The team expected to sell maybe 10,000 units to UK school kids.

They sold 100,000 on the first day. The website crashed. Distributors ran out of stock within minutes. Clearly, the demand for cheap, hackable computing went far beyond education.

The Pi found audiences nobody expected: home media centers, retro gaming consoles, network-attached storage, home automation, security cameras, weather stations, and countless industrial applications. Factories use Pis to monitor equipment. Space agencies use them in experiments. Artists use them in installations.

The educational mission succeeded too. Code Club, Raspberry Pi Foundation's free programming clubs, now operate in over 100 countries. The Foundation provides free curriculum, teacher training, and resources. Millions of kids have written their first code on a Raspberry Pi.

The Pi's real innovation wasn't technical: ARM-based single-board computers existed before. The innovation was making it accessible: good documentation, a friendly community, a dedicated operating system (Raspberry Pi OS), and a price point that meant anyone could afford to experiment.

As of 2024, over 60 million Raspberry Pis have been sold, making it one of the best-selling computers in history. The latest Pi 5 has more computing power than a high-end desktop from 2005, for $60. The Pi proved that computing education doesn't need expensive equipment, it needs cheap, expendable hardware that kids aren't afraid to break.