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EETimes.com – Counterpoint: $20 laptop a dubious solution to India’s education woes — There is — I’m not kidding — also a discussion afoot about a $10 laptop. So much for the OLPC project.
The $20 laptop introduced by Tata this week is so symbolic at so many levels of both the opportunity and the problem with ‘designing for India’, that it’s hard to know where to begin when weighing its chances for success. At face value, however, it would seem to have the number one criteria — low cost — well in hand. Or does it?
An updated version of the much-ballyhooed yet flailing One-Laptop Per Child initiative championed by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT’s Media Lab, the $20 laptop, dubbed ‘Sakshat’ was introduced with some aplomb by Tata, the company which debuted the $2000 Tata Nano automobile in January last year. That the Nano has yet to make the leap from prototype to commercially available models does not bode well for the new laptop, despite the low cost and despite the fact that it targets the country’s number one social issue aside from abject poverty: education.
The article already had two comments about the invalid “facts” in it. India’s pop is about 1.2 billion, not 1.8, and the “enrollment %” is WAY lower than possible. It’s probably in the 50% range.
Let’s see… 20$ laptop. 6 billion people. 120 billion $ to give one to everyone on the planet. STILL LESS THAN THE LEAST OF THE BAILOUTS.
But, nobody wants to fund education for the world, it would allow people to rise up and have a good standard of living.
By an order of magnitude. If they can make it and make it work reliably, it will be a fantastic achievement. I’d buy 5 of ’em if they had built in wi-fi, one for the car, one for the kid, etc. etc.
I would buy them at $30-50 EACH..
ANd probably get 10-20 of them for customers..
They are selling at a LOSS..no PROFIT.
That is like a little vtech computer.
Come on OLPC is no toy. I mean, first it has a notable screen and it is tough as a bird.
This little thing will never be dust prove and rugged. I can tell that from this one little picture.
Nice idea, and totally stupid.
Those who can barely afford a $20 computer have far greater problems, like starvation.
They’re going to spend their time finding/earning food, not sitting in front of a computer screen.
And those who are above starvation and have enough means to allow them time to sit in front of a computer screen, won’t want a low-power, cheap $20 computer.
Somehow, I expect there will be whole LOT of optional purchases. Like a screen, a hard drive, USB ports, 300 baud modem, etc. This guy Tata often talks about changing the world. He’s done pretty well, so far. Sort of India’s Richard Branson. But I think he’s taken on a project bigger than his pocketbook unless there are a lot of catches. Maybe a 10 year contract with India’s equivalent to AT&T.
If the Indians launch a $20 laptop, you probably mean to say “so much for Silicon Valley and good riddance”.
And this has to do with teaching kids the 3 R’s how?
#9, Cow-Paddy,
And this has to do with teaching kids the 3 R’s how?
It’s an inside joke. You had to be there.
The laptop is not lauched by TATA it is a initiative by Indian government.
Also there is no contract system of any form in tele-communication or broad band in India like the west.
Not to mention that for most of these kids the greatest benefit of these $20 laptops will be the price they fetch on ebay.
How do you even make the plastic for $20?
Turns out, the 20$ claim is in no way backed up.
They still have not even a prototype and they aim for 100$.
All that fuzz was for nothing.
#4 Deep-Thought
You need to read the caption. The picture is of a $20,000 laptop.
# 14, Lordlunar
And I just can’t believe there is actually a laptop even more overpriced than the macbooks.
Ops, even worse. 🙂
A 20K$ laptop that looks like a vtech? WTF!?
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