$10 Indian Laptop Is Just A Computing Brick
The old adage proves true once again: if it sounds too good to be true,
well, we'll let you finish the rest. The so-called $10 laptop that was expected
to be unveiled in India has turned out to be a complete letdown. For
starters, it's not a laptop at all. Furthermore, it could cost two to
three times more than the "intended" $10. Needless to say, it can't get
much more deflating than that.
Announced this past week by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development was a low-cost computing device that looks more like an over-sized, port-filled power adapter than a true-to-form notebook computer. Granted, this device is just a prototype, but we aren't counting on it to grow an LCD and QWERTY keyboard within the next short while. For now, the unit measures 10- x 5-inches and is evidently designed to interface with other computing parts (such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.). Ironically, it makes sense to think that poor individuals for which this whole thing was intended for won't be able to afford the necessary accessories to make it work.
In the end, many are suggesting that hype was built up
around this in the wake of upcoming elections, and in a supposedly
elaborate presentation, N.K. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of HRD,
explained that the prototype "bore testimony to India's technological
capability, with some of the components developed by engineering
students themselves." What Sinha didn't mention, however, was that the
$10 laptop that everyone was anticipating was a complete no-show.
Announced this past week by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development was a low-cost computing device that looks more like an over-sized, port-filled power adapter than a true-to-form notebook computer. Granted, this device is just a prototype, but we aren't counting on it to grow an LCD and QWERTY keyboard within the next short while. For now, the unit measures 10- x 5-inches and is evidently designed to interface with other computing parts (such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.). Ironically, it makes sense to think that poor individuals for which this whole thing was intended for won't be able to afford the necessary accessories to make it work.
In the end, many are suggesting that hype was built up
around this in the wake of upcoming elections, and in a supposedly
elaborate presentation, N.K. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of HRD,
explained that the prototype "bore testimony to India's technological
capability, with some of the components developed by engineering
students themselves." What Sinha didn't mention, however, was that the
$10 laptop that everyone was anticipating was a complete no-show.
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