Not-so-humble raspberry pi gets big ideas

As the Raspberry Pi celebrates its first birthday, designs intended for the hobbyist are getting mainstream attention from developers of 'grown up' applications. Few items of electronic hardware have engendered quite as much enthusiasm as the compact, single-board computer developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the aim of encouraging basic computer science in schools. Had it had been for sale in shops, the queues would probably have outstripped those around Apple stores in the earlier days of the iPhone and iPad. The Pi - and other hardware like it - is reinvigorating the world of electronic design; but the project started out with fairly limited ambitions, with its founders hoping that it would simply fill a gap in education. As the Raspberry Pi celebrates its first birthday - and one million units shipped - there are several indications that its value is being readily exploited by developers of 'grown up' products who see it as a cheap (circa £25) and effective way of getting compute power into a range of commercial-class solutions requirements.