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India's $35 Tablet Computer
NotBornYesterday was one of many readers sending in news that the Indian government has announced it is helping to develop a $35 tablet computer running Linux. "India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touchscreen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011. The government plans to subsidize the tablets so the cost to students could be $20; and eventually, they hope the cost will fall to $10 per unit. India's human resource development minister, Kapil Sibal, says, 'The motherboard, its chip, the processing, connectivity, all of them cumulatively cost around $35, including memory, display, everything.' Using a memory card instead of a hard drive, and running a Linux OS, the designers have managed to keep the price low, and are now looking for manufacturing partners. The tablet can be used for functions like word processing, Web browsing, and video conferencing. It has a solar power option too, which is important in India's less developed areas, though that add-on costs extra."
I think this is a big deal. Who really believes that outsourcing technology operations to India and China does not have a long-term consequence? With time, India and China will become innovators -- if they have not already. Reportedly, China has already built the world's second-fastest supercomputer, and is fabricating its own chips (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/science/01compute.html).
Imagine, now, young people thoughout the world writing software. What platform would they choose? If I was growing up in India and had an accessible computer for $35, I probably would not want to pay a whole lot more for a Windows computer.
Maybe this tablet does not quite have it right, technologically. But it is a step forward and an indication of intention on the part of the Indian government.
Just don't be surprised then [sic] the electricity bill will be [sic] much higher then [sic] using some modern hardware.
What information do you have that would remotely support this conclusion?
To make a $35 laptop, they don't have a huge R&D effort making their own parts to compete with Intel and Corsair. They're going to use commodity (read: cheap, reliable, off-the-shelf) components (motherboard, cpu, ram, etc.) that are Linux-supported -- or close enough to be able to add support without too much effort.
Considering that they're going to have a solar-powered option -- with solar power generating about 10-watts per sq ft -- how big exactly did you imagine this laptop?
The basic formula for posting on a forum is:
1) Think.
2) Type.
You missed a step.