Bridging the Digital Divide With PCtvt?

maddu writes "Dr. Raj Reddy, a pioneering researcher in artificial intelligence and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, plans to unveil his new project, called the PCtvt, later this year - it's a $250 wirelessly networked personal computer intended for the four billion people around the world who live on less than $2,000 a year, according to the NYT (free reg. req.) He says his device can find a market in developing countries, particularly those with large populations of people who cannot read, because it can be controlled by a simple TV remote control and can function as a television, telephone and videophone." We've previously covered the somewhat conceptually related Simputer.

Comments

Re:Instead of reducing the price, increase incomes

[Nos.]

If you reduce it too much, yes. However, there's a fine line between markup and market share. As you reduce your price, your share of the market goes up. However, reduce your price to far, and you can't support your business.

Re:Ah...

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Worse yet- he doesn't realize that the grand majority of those 4 billion people not only live on less than $2000 a year- they live on less than $365 a year (since the going wage at the bottom of the third world is $1/day). Does he really expect people to give up 2/3rds of their yearly salary just to get a TV set/Telephone/Videophone? And don't you have to be at least symbol-literate to use a remote control or keyboard?

Steve would!

[argent]

There's definitely precedent.

"When I was in my first year of college, I told my father that I was going to own a 4K computer someday! And he said, 'Yeah, but they cost about as much as a house!' And I said, 'Well then, I'll live in an apartment.'" -- Steve Wozniak

Re:Not trolling, but...

[danharan]

maybe they should spend their money on food and birth control?

One of the biggest surprises in development work and family planning of the past decade has been the impact of TV on birth rates.

You'll notice the opposite is true here in the "developed" world. Nine months after every major blackout, ice/snow storm, there's a mini baby-boom. People don't get nookie when they're watching Survivor and sitcom reruns (If having sex during Survivor is what turns your crank, I don't want to know).

TV programmes have also had a huge cultural impact- showing financially independent women in their 30's? Downright radical.

The guy who came up with this is a geek, and he's thinking about bringing technology to the masses. There's nothing wrong with that- people ought to contribute to our common advancement with what knowledge they know and are passionate about.