Retailers see 'unprecedented demand' for cheap Raspberry Pi computer

Newsbrief: Retailers today began selling the Raspberry Pi, the cheap and tiny computer designed to teach programming to students in the UK, and have experienced "unprecedented demand" for the device. The credit card-sized, single-board computer was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity that includes game industry veteran and Elite co-developer David Braben in its board of trustees. Braben recently explained to Gamasutra that he hopes the Raspberry Pi and its ability to program games will help teach computer science to students in the UK. Many appear to have taken an interest in the $35 Linux-based computer, as within hours after retailers began selling the Raspberry Pi today, a number of shops sold out of their stock. British electronics distributor RS Components commented, "This is the greatest level of demand RS has ever received for a product at one time."