Raspberry Pi Orders Hit 350,000

Raspberry Pi orders stand at 350,000 and counting, demonstrating the massive interest in the £25 computer the size of a pack of playing cards.

Corby-based manufacturer RS Components has reported 250,000 customers are on its Raspberry Pi waiting list, whilst another provider, Element14, said it had hit 100,000 orders.

Orders incoming

The rollout had been stalled twice, thanks to the need for CE certification and a manufacturing error and the first devices delivered to customers reached schoolchildren in Leeds last week.

“We have over 100,000 confirmed orders for the Raspberry Pi and can confirm that all of those who ordered before 18 April will definitely receive their Raspberry Pi before the end of June 2012,” said Mike Buffham, director of product at element14.

“We appreciate customers are desperate to get their hands on a Raspberry Pi and want to reassure them that we are working on this as quickly as we can. As soon as we have the precise information our customers want about their individual delivery date they will be the first to know.”

Any customer who has ordered a Raspberry Pi after 18 April can expect a delivery date of July 2012 onwards.

The next shipment of Raspberry Pi devices are expected to arrive in the first week of May and will be sent out to customers “as quickly as possible”, Element14 said.

RS Components started sending out  Raspberry Pi machines on 16 April. “There has been a huge wave of anticipation and extraordinary levels of demand for Raspberry Pi since it was launched, so we are delighted to be delivering the first boards to initial customers,” said Glenn Jarrett, head of electronics marketing at RS Components.

“We are working very closely with the manufacturer to bring subsequent batches of boards into stock so that we can fulfil every customer order for Raspberry Pi as quickly as possible.”

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