Inventors of Raspberry Pi, a US$25 computer, hail huge sales
It is a single circuit board the size of a credit card with no screen or keyboard, a far cry from the smooth tablets that dominate the technology market. But the world's cheapest computer, costing just US$25, has astonished its British creators by selling almost 1.5 million units in 18 months.
"It was just supposed to be a little thing to solve a little problem. We've sold many more to children than we expected to sell, but even more to adults," said Eben Upton of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. "They're using it like Lego to connect things up."
The device, which runs the open-source Linux operating system, was designed as an educational tool for children to learn coding. But its potential for almost infinite tinkering and customisation has fired up the imaginations of hobbyists and inventors around the world.
Tokyo inventor Shota Ishiwatari created a small robot run by a Pi, which can tell you the weather, manage your diary and make coffee. "I wanted to create something by using a 3-D printer and the Raspberry Pi - two cool items" - and show the potential of the microcomputer, he said.