Getting a Raspberry Pi for Christmas? Now there’s an online store to go with it

Budget educational computer the Raspberry Pi now has an Apple-style applications hub that's fully accessible from the machine's own Raspbian operating system.

Announced yesterday via a blog by Pi creator Eben Upton, the Pi Store is already filling up with interesting applications, ranging from games to tools and coding tutorials, keeping the Raspberry Pi project true to its original ambition of teaching coding skills to children and students.

"We're launching the Pi Store to make it easier for developers of all ages to share their games, applications, tools and tutorials with the rest of the community," said Upton on the blog.

"The Pi Store will, we hope, become a one-stop shop for all your Raspberry Pi needs; it's also an easier way into the Raspberry Pi experience for total beginners, who will find everything they need to get going in one place, for free," continued Upton.

The store, with launches as an application from the Pi's widely-available Raspbian operating system, should help to get the Raspberry Pi back on track. Since its February 2012 launch, the ARM-based system on a chip, which retails for £30, has attracted a wealth of computer-savvy hobbyists and nostalgia fans, but despite encouraging, early examples, uptake in schools is still relatively low.

Upton admitted the discrepancy, telling the BBC there is currently "a strong bias towards adults who are computer literate".

The games in particular may help to show children what can be done with the Raspberry Pi, and draw them away from the technologically superior and arguably more accessible world of mobile devices, which are also beginning to find their way into common use in UK schools.