The Raspberry Pi Hits Important New Milestones

As we've noted here before, when it comes to top open source stories of the past couple of years, it's clear that one of the biggest is the proliferation of tiny, inexpensive Linux-based computers at some of the smallest form factors ever seen. The diminutive, credit card-sized Raspberry Pi, which has been priced at only $25 and $35, has grabbed most of the headlines in this space, and has recently hit some new milestones.

Dr. Eben Upton, the brains behind the Raspberry Pi, has announced that 11 million units have sold in just over four years, a remarkable metric for such a tiny and inexpensive computing device. Meanwhile, Android is opening up many new applications for the Pi.

What's really remarkable about the 11 million unit milestone is that the 10 million unit mark was hit in September. The Pi continues to be a big story as 2016 closes out.

The Raspberry Pi now has both Bluetooth and WiFi, which extending its possibilities over previous generations. Pi users also already have many options for the OS they choose to run on the mini ARM computers, from Windows 10 IoT Core, to Ubuntu core and many other Linux systems. But Android is emerging as a meaningful addition to the mix.

As we noted back in May, there are some organic synergies between Android and Pi devices. For example, the education market has always represented a natural fit for Raspberry Pi devices, and Google has given 15,000 Pi devices to U.K. schools. The news about Google's gift to schools was even picked up on the TreeHugger blog. A marriage between Android and the Pi could bring inexpensive but impactful capabilities to students.

It will be interesting to see what new directions Android might take the Pi in. Stay tuned for more updates in this space.