Tiny single-board computer the Raspberry Pi has become the third best-selling home computer ever after recently outselling 1980s favourite the Commodore 64. As of this year, the Raspberry Pi has barely overtaken the Commodore 64’s sales figures, which shifted approximately 12.5 million units during its lifetime. The sales figures are based on cumulative sales of Raspberry Pi products – including the first, second, and third iterations of the hardware, including A and B variations, plus the tiny Raspberry Pi Zero – and the sixteen different PCBs that made up the Commodore 64 lineup over its twelve-year lifespan.
“The Commodore 64 had, until recently, the distinction of being the third most popular general purpose computing platform,” Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi Ltd, revealed at the hardware’s fifth Birthday party. “That’s what I’m here to celebrate: we are now the third most popular general purpose computing platform after the Mac and PC.”
“And we did it together, and it’s kind of wonderful,” Eben added.
The makers of the Raspberry Pi cites the Commodore 64 – alongside the likes of the BBC Micro and the ZX Spectrum – as a huge inspiration for the versatile hardware, and expresses its hope that it can inspire the same kind of home programming revolution the C64 was responsible for 30 years ago.
“Here on The MagPi, we’re huge fans of Commodore computers. They formed an integral part of our coding childhoods,” the Raspberry Pi blog reads. “And it’s easily programmable computers, like the Commodore 64, Sinclair Spectrum and BBC Micro that provided inspiration for the Raspberry Pi itself.”
“We can take huge pride that the Raspberry Pi has reignited the fire for home computing and digital making,” the blog says. “The boom in home coding was sparked by computers from the 1980s, including the Commodore 64. Here’s to many more years of digital making.”
