The History of the Raspberry Pi: Interactive Timeline 2006–2026

Era 1 2006–2012: The Beginnings From a university prototype tackling falling computer science applications to a $35 computer that crashes servers. 2006 The idea is born in Cambridge Company At the University of Cambridge, Eben Upton notices that fewer and fewer young people are applying to study computer science — and that the applicants lack the hands-on tinkering experience of the home-computer generation. The first Atmel-based prototypes are built: still a long way from the later Pi, but the mission is already set — a computer so cheap that every kid can experiment with one. Source: Raspberry Pi Foundation ↗ 2008/2009 The Raspberry Pi Foundation is founded Company Together with allies from academia and industry — including Broadcom colleagues and Cambridge lecturers — Eben Upton founds the Raspberry Pi Foundation. In May 2009 it is registered as a charity (UK charity no. 1129409). Its stated goal: promoting computer science education for young people. Source: UK Charity Commission ↗ Late 2011 25 beta boards — 10 of them auctioned on eBay Company The first 25 final beta boards are manufactured. In early 2012 the Foundation auctions ten of them off on eBay in a well-publicised campaign — individual boards fetch four-figure sums and fund the final polish before launch. The auctions give the upcoming $35 computer its first taste of international fame. Source: Wikipedia (launch history) ↗ 29 Feb 2012 Launch: Raspberry Pi Model B for $35 Hardware The original Raspberry Pi Model B from 2012 (photo: Jwrodgers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) On leap day 2012, the first Raspberry Pi goes on sale. The rush for the $35 computer with its 700 MHz ARM chip and 256 MB of RAM takes down the servers of both distributors, Farnell and RS Components, within minutes — the Foundation itself has to switch its website to a static page. The plan had been a small production run for British school kids; it turned into the beginning of the best-selling British computer of all time. Read more: All Pi models compared Source: raspberrypi.com (launch retrospective) ↗ 17 July 2012 Raspbian becomes the recommended operating system Software Raspbian — a Debian build optimised for the Pi’s hardware, started as a community project by Mike Thompson and Peter Green — becomes the officially recommended system. It marks the start of the Debian lineage that the Pi’s operating system follows to this day. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 6 Sep 2012 “Made in the UK”: production moves to Wales Company Manufacturing moves from China to the Sony factory in Pencoed, Wales — and most Raspberry Pis still roll off the line there today. For an electronics product in this price class, bringing production back to Europe was unheard of in 2012. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 15 Oct 2012 Model B gets 512 MB of RAM Hardware At no extra cost, the Foundation doubles the Model B’s memory from 256 to 512 MB. It is the first example of a pattern that stays with the Pi for years: more performance for the same price. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ Era 2 2013–2018: Growth Camera, Compute Module, Pi 2 and 3 — and a $5 computer at the newsstand. 4 Feb 2013 Model A: the $25 variant Hardware The stripped-down Model A (256 MB RAM, one USB port, no Ethernet) reaches Europe. Drawing only a third of the Model B’s power, it becomes the first choice for battery-powered projects and robotics. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 14 May 2013 The first Camera Module (5 MP) Hardware The first Camera Module from 2013 (photo: Sven.petersen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) For $25, the Pi gets its first official accessory board: a 5-megapixel camera for the CSI port. Time-lapses, birdhouse cams and surveillance projects quickly make the camera the most-used Pi accessory of all. Read more: Set up the Pi camera: our guide Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 8 Oct 2013 1.75 million sold — 1 million made in Wales Company Eighteen months after launch, the Foundation reports 1.75 million Pis sold, one million of them built at the Sony plant in Pencoed. The tinkerer’s computer is definitively no longer a niche product. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 7 Apr 2014 Compute Module: the Pi goes industrial Hardware The Pi in SODIMM format kicks off the industrial line: companies can now build Pi technology straight into their own products. Along the way, the education project becomes an embedded supplier — today, industrial and embedded customers account for over two-thirds of sales. Read more: CM4 vs CM5: our comparison Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 14 July 2014 Model B+: 40 GPIO pins and microSD become standard Hardware The B+ locks in the layout that still applies today: 40-pin GPIO header, microSD slot, four USB ports and the familiar mounting holes. Thanks to that decision, practically every HAT expansion board of the past ten years fits every modern Pi. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 2 Feb 2015 Raspberry Pi 2: quad-core and 1 GB of RAM Hardware Four cores instead of one, 1 GB of RAM, same price: according to the Foundation, the Pi 2 is “six times faster” than its predecessor. For the first time the Pi actually feels usable as a desktop machine — and Microsoft announces Windows 10 IoT Core for the Pi in parallel. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 18 Feb 2015 5 million: the best-selling British computer Company With five million units sold, the Raspberry Pi overtakes the legendary ZX Spectrum and becomes the best-selling British computer of all time — three years after launch. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 8 Sep 2015 The official 7-inch touch display Hardware After years of development (including an EMC certification odyssey), the first official display arrives: 7 inches, 800×480, touch — the starting signal for countless Pi-based smart home panels, kiosk systems and car dashboards. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 26 Nov 2015 Pi Zero: the $5 computer on a magazine cover Hardware The Pi Zero undercuts every price barrier — and the Foundation sticks it onto the cover of its own MagPi magazine as a free gift. A full Linux computer at the newsstand: the issue sells out within hours. Read more: Our Pi Zero guide Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ Dec 2015 Astro Pi: two Raspberry Pis fly to the ISS Company Two specially hardened Pis with Sense HATs launch to the International Space Station alongside ESA astronaut Tim Peake. Ever since, tens of thousands of school kids have run their own code in orbit every year — still one of Europe’s biggest STEM education programmes. Source: astro-pi.org (ESA) ↗ 29 Feb 2016 Pi 3: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth move in Hardware Right on time for the fourth birthday (another leap day!), the Pi 3 arrives — for the first time with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on board and a 64-bit-capable quad-core. The dongle sprawl on the USB ports comes to an end, and the Pi finally becomes the standard building block for the connected home. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 8 Sep 2016 10 million Raspberry Pis sold Company Four and a half years after launch, ten million Pis have been sold — Eben Upton had originally expected 10,000 in total. The first official starter kit is released to mark the milestone. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 28 Feb 2017 Zero W: wireless for the smallest Pi Hardware For its fifth birthday, the Zero gets Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — for $10. IoT projects, smart cameras and retro handhelds no longer need a USB adapter. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 14 March 2018 Pi 3 B+: a speedy polish on Pi Day Hardware More clock speed (1.4 GHz), Gigabit Ethernet (attached via USB), dual-band Wi-Fi and PoE readiness: the B+ is the most mature version of the Pi 3 generation — fittingly released on Pi Day, 14 March. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 15 Nov 2018 Pi 3 A+: the last Model A Hardware The A line gets its send-off: full Pi 3 performance in the compact A format for $25. No successor has appeared to this day — anyone building small has reached for the Zero ever since. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ Era 3 2019–2023: Platform Maturity The Pi matures into a desktop-class machine, gets its own chips — and survives the chip shortage. 24 June 2019 Pi 4: USB 3, dual 4K and your choice of RAM Hardware The Pi 4 brings USB 3.0, true Gigabit Ethernet, two 4K HDMI outputs — and for the first time a choice of RAM (1, 2 or 4 GB, later 8). The $35 entry price stays, but from now on the Pi is also a serious desktop and server machine. One sore point: the first revision has a USB-C charging flaw that acts up with “smart” cables. Read more: Still worth buying a Pi 4? Our comparison Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 28 May 2020 Raspbian becomes Raspberry Pi OS — and the Pi 4 gets 8 GB Software Along with the 8 GB variant of the Pi 4, the Foundation renames its operating system: Raspbian becomes Raspberry Pi OS, and the 64-bit beta launches in parallel. The new name positions the system as an official product — the Debian base stays. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 19 Oct 2020 Compute Module 4: farewell to the SODIMM format Hardware The CM4 switches to compact board-to-board connectors and brings PCIe into the Pi world for the first time — officially only for industrial customers, though. The community builds anyway: NAS boards, routers and the first NVMe experiments all emerge on a CM4 basis. Read more: CM4 vs CM5 in detail Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 2 Nov 2020 Pi 400: the computer inside a keyboard Hardware In the middle of the homeschooling year, the Pi 400 appears: a complete computer in a keyboard case for $70 — a deliberate bow to the home computers of the ’80s whose spirit once inspired the Foundation. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 21 Jan 2021 Pico & RP2040: the first in-house chip Hardware With the $4 Pico microcontroller, Raspberry Pi steps into Arduino territory — and with the self-developed RP2040 becomes a chipmaker for the first time. The step from board builder to silicon designer shapes everything that comes after. Source: raspberrypi.com ↗ 28 Oct 2021 Zero 2 W: quad-core in the Zero format Hardware