Laptop Makers Skeptical of $100 Laptop Schedule

coolgadget wrote to mention an article at DigitalTimes reporting that the production schedule MIT has laid out for the $100 laptop may be unrealistic. From the article: "Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics, and Inventec, which are reportedly bidding to manufacture the world's cheapest notebook distributed to schools directly through large government initiatives, consider that meeting the volume shipment schedule for the US$100 notebook would be 'unlikely' given the current technical hurdles that need to be overcome ... The OLPC project will need huge support from governments to solve a variety of software and hardware problems including handwriting recognition, translation, and panel issues, all under a low-cost production budget, Taiwan notebook makers stated. Related components for the low-cost notebooks are still in the design stage, indicated the makers, noting that a 7.5-inch display sample for the US$100 model could be released by January of next year at the soonest." We've previously discussed this story.

Comments

Not ready for prime time

[erick99]

This is the notebook that partially came apart while Annan was demonstrating it at the U.N.? Probably not quite ready....

Re:Not ready for prime time

[theStorminMormon]

To give a serious response the real reasons that many of the world's poor cannot compete in world markets are:

1. Protective gov't subsidies (especially on agriculture)

2. Enabling foreign aid (You try opening an indiginous busines to sell clothing in Africa. You get to compete with all the free clothes various aid agencies dump on the market. Good luck. But at least they're not freezing to death in ethiopa now).

-stormin

Linux based?

[Ostien]

So what distrabution have they settled on?

and please don't make this the start of a "What distro is better?" flamewar.

Gee, ya think?

[Otter]

A loudly-publicized, world-transforming project from the MIT Media Lab turns out to be a lot of hot air? Gee, what were the chances?

Re:Oh noes!

[denis-The-menace]

Food, water, and medicine is usually bought locally but that's with what's after the "warlord tax". Sending laptop that are useless for war and cannot be bought locally might actually have a chance to do something.

An interesting social experiment?

[xtal]

Even in the western world, I can't help but wonder what might come out of the widespread adoption of a $100 notebook computer. Not only would this put computers in the hands of people who might not otherwise have the opportunity, but it would also put them in a lot of places where they're not cost effective right now.

Increased accessibility to communication would be the obvious one, it would become VERY interesting if that played off into productivity and creativity growth as well.

Might even make e-books mainstream.

Software problems already solved

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone who thinks there are software problems has never heard of the Sharp Zaurus or the OPIE distro of Linux. All the problems they mentioned have already been solved. This laptop is rather like a large-screen version of a Sharp Zaurus with an integrated power generator.

As for the $100, that is the final volume price. The earlier models will cost more but will be subsidized by the later, high-volume production. This is normally how manufacturing costs end up in the real world.

The problem-solving costs are irrelevant because all the engineering work is being donated by MIT engineers.

Two points to ponder . . .

[mmell]

1. There are plenty of underpriveledged children here in the United States who could benefit from this kind of program . . . inner-city and rural. At the risk of seeming selfish or callous, shouldn't we take care of our own first?

2. If there is an absolute mandate to help the children in underdeveloped nations, wouldn't food, shelter, clothing and basic education be more suitable areas in which to provide assistance? To lift a line from M*A*S*H* - it is wholly inappropriate to give dessert to a child who hasn't had dinner.

Re:Two points to ponder . . .

[jbloggs]

1) This program is being aimed at allowing gov'ts to buy them for schools. This is not being done by the US gov't, so there isn't any "our own" to take care of first. The US govt is free to buy them, and I've heard Massachusetts is considering it. 2) This is being sold to gov'ts, not given to them. This just makes education and networking possible in areas were it wouldn't be otherwise, especially because the laptop can be used to read e-books. Food, shelter, and clothing are already attacked on different fronts (for years by rich govts), and aren't the aim or focus of the ML to provide. This is an additional measure that can radically transform the rest of the world unlike anything else thats been done.

Opportunity for other manufacturers

[bazorg]

Obviously the laptop manufacturers aren't excited about this, as it may lead people to wonder why all laptops are so feature-rich, and why the "sub-notebook" segment has only the best components, but smaller, instead of having a lower-end variety as well.

That would be something with like a mini laptop (or extra large PDA?)with a 8" screen, 1Gb flash memory as permanent storage, 1 usb port and 1 PCMCIA slot, for people who really want to add ethernet or wi-fi.

I've seen portable DVD players with the right size and screen quality for this, selling with generic brand name for EUR99... If someone could remove the DVD stuff and replace with the right components, voilá, instant "sub-notebook".

Re:Opportunity for other manufacturers

[cannuck]

Great idea - in terms of going "low tech" to mod one device (in this case a DVD player) into a Usable laptop. There must be dozens of examples of existing hardware than can be "retooled" to do the job.

A simple 300 MHZ cpu is all that is needed to do the vast majority of tasks done on computers by kids - anywhere. Add the $8 chip, that is in the new iPod Video player - that enables decoding of H.264 video - and one has a complete educational tool.

Re:Out of Focus

[cannuck]

Hmm... me thinks you miss the entire point. Millions of kids in this world have no schools, no "teachers" (nobody teaches anyone anything), no libraries (no books), no videos, no Tv, no radio (maybe one radio for entire community, no telephone and so on.

The lowly $100 computer with Wifi and a community satellite hook up - corrects every issue listed above. Which in return enables all these millions of kids to learn.

Imagine having the best "teacher" in the world (nobody teaches anyone anything) facilitating a group of kids in the middle of nowhere! Well that's what this is all about.

How it is possible for kids to learn without being "taught"? It's called "Peer Interdependent Learning" - where the "teacher" - actually the facilitator, sits at the back of the classroom (or in his study remote from the kids in another country). Contact the Johnson brothers at the University of Minnesota http://www.co-operation.org/ to learn how kids actually learn versus how teachers and schools think kids learn.

Jhai PC

[General Alcazar]

There is an organization that is already doing something similar: the Jhai Foundation. They have developed a PC (not a laptop, but still portable), designed by Lee Felsenstein, with no moving parts, that runs on Linux, and can be human-powered, and is based on wireless networking.

They are not as well funded or well known as the Media Lab, but they are already in the field doing it.

Here's more information via Google.

India didn't need $100 laptops

[Latinhypercube]

Why go through all this development. Why not attempt to RECYCLE all the pc's geeks like us go through every year. 7 inch LCD? Are they crazy ! For the same resolution how about a TV out ? (eg. C64 or ZX Spectrum, come to think of it that would be so hot, tape drives and all, man they could probably afford floppies !) What use does the 3rd world have for a portable computer ? Are they going to be working whilst commuting? Do they have electricity at home? Do they even want to have something that valuable in their home...? Seems to me a bank of reconditioned towers based at a local school or library, with a tech support guy around, hooked up to somekind of broadband would be the most ideal situation. But what would that leave MIT to do ?