The $10 Laptop from India!

Posted by Abbas ||

January 31, 2009 ||

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India has managed to build a $10 laptop for school going kids which an probably do a little more than just rendering pages from the internet and play videos (remains to be seen). The laptop developed by IIT-Madras, Vellore Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Science, it is already being marketed as a better product than compared to the $100 OLPC.

This laptop is loaded with 2 GB memory, fixed Ethernet, WiFi, expandable memory and runs on just 2 watts of power which is 97% less than a regular PC power consumption. The price of the product is just ideal for the Indian market but also keep in mind that this product is targeted at the school going children in the rural areas and the truth is not even 10% of the rural population will be able to afford it.

Originally targeted at $10 per laptop the price is gone up to $20 at present, however, government officials believe with the mass production of these machines the price will be brought down to $10. Engadget also reported that $10 laptop was to cost $100 by the time it hits the market.

This is where Government can play a huge role. It is currently involved in working with publishers to make the education content available online so that users of this product can assess it online. If things go as planned the Govt is working to make it commercially available in the next 6 months.

What we can expect to see in the near future is that these laptops will be granted to schools and other education institutes in the rural India so that children who cannot afford to buy books and other studying material can take advantage of it.