Origins
Raspberry Pi comes from Eben Upton’s (Cambridge) observation that early-2000s computer science students arrived with far weaker hands-on skills than those of the 1980s-1990s — when the BBC Micro was standard in British schools. The goal: an affordable and inspectable computer for education.
Founded in 2009 as a charity, the Raspberry Pi Foundation partners with Broadcom to adapt the BCM2835 SoC (ARM1176JZF-S at 700 MHz + VideoCore IV GPU) for an accessible price.
The launch
On 29 February 2012 (date chosen for rarity — leap year) it hits the market:
- Raspberry Pi Model B: 35 USD, 256 MB RAM (later 512 MB in 2012-2013), 2× USB, Ethernet
- Raspberry Pi Model A: 25 USD, 256 MB RAM, 1× USB, no Ethernet
The first 10,000 units sell out in hours, crashing the websites of distributors RS Components and Premier Farnell. UK production (Sony Pencoed) for subsequent Model Bs.
Key specs
- ARM1176 at 700 MHz (ARMv6)
- VideoCore IV GPU with hardware H.264 support
- HDMI 1080p + composite video
- 3.5mm audio jack
- SD card as primary storage
- 40 GPIO pins (26 in early versions) for hardware interfacing
- Linux-based OS — initially Debian Squeeze, then Raspbian (2013), today Raspberry Pi OS
- 5V micro-USB power, ~5 W consumption
Uses beyond education
Raspberry Pi quickly finds uses well beyond education:
- Home media centre — Kodi, OSMC, LibreELEC
- Retro gaming — RetroPie, Recalbox
- Home automation — Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Domoticz
- Network appliances — Pi-hole (DNS ad-blocker), OpenWrt, VPN server
- Robotics — ROS, maker projects, drones
- IoT gateway — sensor data to cloud
- Digital signage — public kiosks and totems
- Edge computing in professional environments (Industry 4.0)
Evolution
The Raspberry Pi family expands rapidly:
- Pi 2 Model B (February 2015) — ARMv7 quad-core
- Pi 3 Model B (February 2016) — ARMv8 64-bit, integrated Wi-Fi + BT
- Pi Zero (November 2015) — mini format, 5 USD
- Pi 4 (June 2019) — 1/2/4/8 GB RAM, desktop-class performance
- Pi 5 (October 2023) — ARM Cortex-A76, significant performance boost
- Pi Pico (January 2021) — microcontroller with RP2040 (Arduino competitor)
In the Italian context
Raspberry Pi has been the de facto standard in Italian electronics, computer science and maker education since 2013. Used in:
- Schools — from middle school to universities
- Fablabs as an accessible tool
- Industrial SMEs — monitoring applications, industrial displays, machine control
- Public administration and museums — interactive kiosks, digital signage
- noze — R&D projects in IoT, digital health prototyping, edge computing
References: Raspberry Pi Model B (29 February 2012). Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi Foundation (2009). Broadcom BCM2835 SoC (ARM1176 + VideoCore IV). Debian/Raspbian/Raspberry Pi OS. Sony Pencoed production (UK). Evolution: Pi 2 (2015), 3 (2016), Zero (2015), 4 (2019), 5 (2023), Pico (2021).