Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Laptops for all!
A new initiative amongst the world IT heavyweights aims to bring online access to even the most remote communities.
The race is on to be the first to produce the latest low-cost laptop for the remote communities of the world. China, which has the largest portion of the world’s population which is not online, is also the country which has one of the poorest communities. According to the World Bank, nearly 60% of China’s 1.3 billion inhabitants live in non-urbanised areas, and 150 million exist of these people exist on less than a £1 a day. The top computer companies are therefore competing to create a cheap, usable laptop for these deprived areas. One of these companies is Beijing-based Lenovo, which owns IBM’s PC division. It has created a £99 computer which plugs into a TV and will include educational software. Dell has also announced the launch of a laptop geared specifically for the rural market. This computer will be available in two configurations, 40GB and 80GB hard drive, and will use the Windows XP operating system. Further offerings come from chip-maker Intel, in conjunction with the world's largest computer motherboard manufacturer, Asustek who are making a $200 (£100) Eee PC laptop. Intel has already created the Classmate PC for use in developing countries, and this latest development will be placed alongside it.
Microsoft is also getting in on the action of the cheap computers, with their software package of Windows XP Starter Edition and Microsoft Office Home, as well as other educational software. Microsoft will offer this package for the miniscule amount of $3 (£1.50) in some developing countries, to governments which provide free PCs for schools. A further scheme attempting to bring computers to everyone is the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project. This project is in the process of completing the development of the cheap, hard-wearing XO laptop, which will eventually cost $100 and is intended to work specifically in an educational context.
Source:
BBC News
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