Insights into Raspberry Pi market emerge from Newark user survey

Newark has released new insights from its global user survey into the market for the Raspberry Pi single-board computer, revealing why and how both professionals and makers use Raspberry Pi. 

The research highlights the widespread use of Raspberry Pi by professional engineers in prototyping and proof-of-concept applications, particularly for IoT, industrial automation and control applications, as well as its popularity with makers. It also provides valuable insights into the high proportion of users that take advantage of the Raspberry Pi add-on HAT devices, which open up a myriad of new applications without the need to develop custom hardware.

Some key insights from the Newark Raspberry Pi survey include:

• One-third of respondents confirmed that they are using Raspberry Pi for personal projects, and more than one-third of the engineers are using Raspberry Pi for proof of concept and prototyping. Other uses include test rigs/testing systems and production.
• 34 percent of makers use Raspberry Pi exclusively in their personal projects.
• Makers said that the main reason they use Raspberry Pi is because of its price, closely followed by the performance and familiarity with the product. Professional engineers care about ease of use more than any other factor when deciding to use Raspberry Pi.
• Makers declared the Pi camera and touchscreen their favorite accessories.
• Professional engineers are primarily using Raspberry Pi for IoT applications, closely followed by industrial automation and control. Other notable applications include robotics, display and consumer applications.

“This research clearly illustrates the versatility of Raspberry Pi,” said Hari Kalyanaraman, global head of single board computers for Newark. “The success of Raspberry Pi began with the maker community. A powerful combination of user-friendly features, low cost and a large and active user base has quickly made Raspberry Pi an attractive platform for engineers looking to develop and deploy a broad range of applications. This survey strongly confirms the widespread adoption of Raspberry Pi by engineers in commercial and industrial environments.”

In celebration of Pi Day on March 14th, Newark is also offering a 10% discount on the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and Starter Kit from March 14th through March 31st. To access the 10% discount, customers should visit Newark in North America, Farnell in EMEA, and element14 in APAC and use the code PIDAY10 at checkout.