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Low-Cost Simputer Fails to Win Indians' Interest
prostoalex writes "The Associated Press looks at the Indian low-cost Simputer project and registers it as a failure. Picopeta sold 2,000 units over the past year, while Encore Software sold 2,000 Simputers. Only 10% of the devices were bought for rural areas, which the device was originally designed for. The reason? The companies need to sell quite a few simplistic monochrome devices to allow for the low price tag of $200. Meanwhile, anyone can buy a powerful device with a color screen for $199 from a major vendor."
Which seems rather amusing since with my Dell, the one time I was unfortunate enough to have to call customer support, it was routed to India. No support to their own?
Before modding this down as libertarian propaganda, do me the favor of actually thinking about it.
This doesn't strike me as suprising at all. The free market is absolutely ruthless in attracting folks to markets, and it's absolutely ruthless in pressuring them to drive their prices down. (As the joke goes: the businessman spends his evenings on his knees, praying for prices to rise, and all day at his desk, working to make them go down).
A do-gooder non-profit, no matter how wonderful and benevolant, just doesn't have the incentives in place to motivate the same sort of EFFECTIVE action. I'm sure all of the people involved had their hearts in the right place, and they prob even worked reasonably hard...but the outcome was entirely predictable.
TJIC
Be careful about mentioning the spewing of toxic gasses-- the Indians are probably still touchy about that whole Union Carbide thingy.
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
I have to ask, do you ever go over to a friends house and watch any TV. They are doing exactly that. Also I do believe (though I could be wrong) that when TV's first came out many people went over to their friends houses if they had a TV and watched it there. Also if you want to be technical there is only one "ORIGINAL buyer" for a TV set which would mean only one person would ever be able to watch one Tv which is quite rediculous.