When asking the average gadget savvy, consumer electronic wench if he or she romps around with a laptop in their messenger bag, chances are they do--and they are on their way to (free Wi-Fi) Starbucks.
It's even customary for U.S. university students to not only have a cell phone but also a laptop in hand on their way to their noon classes, in their pajamas. Laptops are replacing PCs not only for their portability and lightweight bonuses but because they are getting cheaper and cheaper. Moreover schools and universities sometimes strike deals with major vendors. Let's face it, money talks and now more than ever for those in India.
A few days ago, the Indian government unveiled a plan to help students hone their computer skills by assisting in the manufacturing of laptops to be sold at ten-dollars a piece. The project will start in India's southern city of Tirupati
Details about the computers remain scarce, but Higher Education Secretary R.P. Agrawal said last week that these laptops will be available within six months.
"Once the testing is over, the computers will be made available on commercial basis," he told the Press Trust of India news agency.
"Its cost will be 10 US dollars. If the parents want to give something to their kids, they can easily purchase this item."
The laptops will reportedly have two gigs of memory with wireless Internet capability, but officials have not publicly demonstrated a prototype--or yet explained how it can be produced at such a low cost, but in the end does that really matter?
The government has earmarked more than 939 million dollars to develop the low-power gadget to work in rural areas with unreliable power supply and/or poor Internet connectivity.
In order to increase the number of students in higher education the Indian government wants to give the nations' youth the technological skills needed to further boost India's economic growth.
This is not India's first attempt in implementing a program to supply those who want an inexpensive laptop. New Delhi declined a previous attempt to bring cheap laptops to India which was led by MIT computer scientist Nicholas Negroponte's with his One Laptop Per Child program.
The government cited hidden costs for its rejection of the idea, which was to sell the laptops at 100-dollars each.
Regardless of how the new laptops are being constructed, the new program is allowing those who want to excel in their education a chance to do so and at ten dollars a pop, there should be no child left behind.
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Hi Jessica,
sounds too good to be true, a laptop for $10, pretty much the cost of one or two baskin robbins scoop, keeping in mind that earlier attempts of producing cheap laptops ($100) has been failed this time would not be any different unless government of India put its own federal money to subsidize it, having said India is shining and attempts like these will only elevate the skills of the people of India.
I am in business of hunting best deals and discount coupons on technology products i.e. Laptop Computer , and this will be very interesting topic for me to follow up further and see if India did really succeeded in producing $10 laptop
Regards
Asif Siddiqui