The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced yesterday that Element14, a division of electronics maker Premier Farnell, has manufactured their 500,000th Raspberry Pi unit — an impressive pace for the $35 bare-board Linux computer that was released in February of 2012.
The milestone becomes even more noteworthy when coupled with the fact that they utilize a second manufacturer as well, RS Components. The team behind the tiny computers make note of the implication in their announcement, stating, “We don’t have completely up-to-date figures from RS Components yet, but Farnell’s news suggests that we’re well on the way to having sold our millionth Raspberry Pi.”
A million units sold at $35 amounts to $35 million dollars, which amounts to a massive success, and that’s before adding in additional revenue from accessory and case sales. The feat is noteworthy considering that message boards and Twitter feeds are often brimming with complaints about retailers being sold out of the diminutive computer boards.
In commemoration of the quickly approaching milestone, Raspberry Pi published an infographic from Element14 about their board sales, including a note that if stacked up end-to-end, the tower would rise 25.6 miles — a mile and a half higher than Felix Baumgartner’s RedBull Stratos space jump.
The chiefs at the Raspberry Pi Foundation are understandably excited by the results of the partnership. “Since the Raspberry Pi was launched globally in February 2012 it has been a tremendous success story,” says Eben Upton, co-founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. “The younger generation has demonstrated significant intrigue in learning how to build and program their own computer device. And what has been great to see is the enormous growth in the hobbyist market. I have seen projects from Twittering chickens to home beer-brewing kits being created using the Raspberry Pi and its accessories.”
Not content to rest, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is partnering with Element 14 to distribute the product worldwide in 2013, further spreading the seeds of the creative computer. While busy expanding their global footprint, Element 14 is also proud to have relocated their manufacturing lines from China to England, proving that high-volume consumer electronics can be produced in the west.
Illustration: Element14
Joseph Flaherty writes about design, DIY, and the intersection of physical and digital products. He designs award-winning medical devices and apps for smartphones at AgaMatrix, including the first FDA-cleared medical device that connects to the iPhone.
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Raspberry Pi Quickly Approaches 1 Million Units Sold
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