An inexpensive laptop is one of the most commonly-discussed “want” devices for any poor second or third world country. While the OLPC $100 laptop, with its Linux OS and hand-cranking charger has been a serious boon, it’s still fairly expensive to produce and sell to interested companies, so the Indian government has decided to fill its own need by producting a $35 laptop that features a touch screen, 2GB of storage, USB port, color display, and WiFi Internet capabilities.
How is this device only $35? I’m not sure, because it seems really capable for its size, form factor, and price. Maybe it’s a pricing mistake. Mmaybe India is really twisting the arms of their various suppliers to get the device at cost. Maybe they’re making use of used parts.
I don’t know how they’re doing it, but earlier this year Indian Human Resources minister Shri Kapil Sibal was talking about an even cheaper $10 laptop. The device is expected to hit the market next year, and the hope is that other companies will pick up the design and drive the prices down even more via competition. If not, $35 is still incredibly cheap for something with better specs than an iPhone.
Tags: India, laptop, Indian government debuts touchscreen tablet computer, Indian government makes laptop, unusual computers, technology, cheap computers, Shri Kapil Sibal