5 ms·

Based on past experience (personal and otherwise), any technology or project touted by the Indian government (and most governments, at that) is vaporware until

by ajju 16y ago

Based on past experience (personal and otherwise), any technology or project touted by the Indian government (and most governments, at that) is vaporware until shipped. The $30 number is doubtful because quite regularly, the government subsidizes projects to meet numerical targets like this. But the article says the $30 cost doesn't consider the cost of distribution. Even if the hardware really costs only $30 to make, distribution is going to at least double that. If this is to be sold by retail vendors, which is the only real way to sell this in a country like India, add another $30 to the cost.

Groxx 16y ago
"Sales or it didn't happen." was my knee-jerk reaction. Just how many similar computers have they "made"?
angusgr 16y ago
You can buy single quantities of ARM-based netbooks & tablets from China for under $90 a unit, including international shipping.(^) So your estimates line up with that experience. I'd guess that if the Indian government really wanted to provide a lot of these to school students, they could bring the cost down a fair bit by either bulk-buying or bulk-producing, though. I'd be interested to find out what the intended OS is, and what the plans for providing suitable useful educational software are, though. (^) For starters, http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.WM8505 http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.WM8505
- threepointone 16y ago
  The video shows it to be android.
  - rb2k_ 16y ago
    I think the video just makes a lot of cuts between similar looking tablets
amk 16y ago
Even if they add another $30 to the price and it costs $60, its still a very interesting project. I wouldn't mind buying one.
ygd 16y ago
It won't be quite another $30, maybe just another $10. Remember: this is India, you can feed a family for less than two dollars.
- keltex 16y ago
  Third world countries are cheaper for certain things. Namely products with a lot of local labor, which is cheap. That's why food (locally grown with local labor), rickshaws (driven by local labor), etc. are very cheap in India. But items which aren't produced by local labor aren't necessarily so cheap. For example, the RAM, CPU, batteries, and LCD screen all come from the same places that US manufacturers buy their components. So they aren't going to be any cheaper because the product is sold in India.
  - ygd 16y ago
    I'm not actually saying it's cheaper, I'm saying the margin of profit that distributors make will be lower than $20.
todayiamme 16y ago
>>>any technology or project touted by the Indian government (and most governments, at that) is vaporware until shipped.<<< It depends a lot on the leadership and what are the driving forces behind something like this. Take the Apollo program; you had a charismatic leader whose death had to be avenged by fulfilling his dream. Further, there was a clear vision and a sense of urgency along with new leadership conducive to carrying out that goal. All of that and more made it a success, but the minute that fervor wore off it was killed. Think about it. Kapil Sibal is one of the most intense, charismatic and brilliant people I know. Yes, he is a politician and by virtue he is suspect, but it still holds true. The programs he set up do work. I am saying this since I benefited from one of them. He started, or pushed off IRIS (http://www.irissciencefair.com/about_iris.php http://www.irissciencefair.com/about_iris.php) the indian version of ISEF (http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/ http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/). That program is simply amazing, and it gave me the exposure that I desperately needed. So, maybe you never know. It might work out after all. Whether or not this will change the basic situation of the indian education system is another matter altogether.
- ajju 16y ago
  I have to admit Sibal has been doing good things with his education portfolio such as Eliminating 10th Standard board exams and allowing students to pick optional subjects regardless of stream. Fingers crossed for this and other ambitious projects succeeding.
- digamber_kamat 16y ago
  There is nothing great about Sibbal except that he talks about change. How a low cost device can help education? that too higher education? Keeping costs lower by be a great technological achievement but will that device be helpful is a question to be asked.
jbrun 16y ago
I think the line, "The final price will depend on the transportation cost." is very telling and something we will be hearing more and more in the future.
- ww520 16y ago
  Shipping the components or the final product from oversea isn't cheap.

by ajju 16y ago

Groxx 16y ago

"Sales or it didn't happen." was my knee-jerk reaction. Just how many similar computers have they "made"?

angusgr 16y ago

You can buy single quantities of ARM-based netbooks & tablets from China for under $90 a unit, including international shipping.(^) So your estimates line up with that experience. I'd guess that if the Indian government really wanted to provide a lot of these to school students, they could bring the cost down a fair bit by either bulk-buying or bulk-producing, though. I'd be interested to find out what the intended OS is, and what the plans for providing suitable useful educational software are, though. (^) For starters, http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.WM8505 http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.WM8505

threepointone 16y ago
The video shows it to be android.
- rb2k_ 16y ago
  I think the video just makes a lot of cuts between similar looking tablets

amk 16y ago

Even if they add another $30 to the price and it costs $60, its still a very interesting project. I wouldn't mind buying one.

ygd 16y ago

It won't be quite another $30, maybe just another $10. Remember: this is India, you can feed a family for less than two dollars.

keltex 16y ago
Third world countries are cheaper for certain things. Namely products with a lot of local labor, which is cheap. That's why food (locally grown with local labor), rickshaws (driven by local labor), etc. are very cheap in India. But items which aren't produced by local labor aren't necessarily so cheap. For example, the RAM, CPU, batteries, and LCD screen all come from the same places that US manufacturers buy their components. So they aren't going to be any cheaper because the product is sold in India.
- ygd 16y ago
  I'm not actually saying it's cheaper, I'm saying the margin of profit that distributors make will be lower than $20.

todayiamme 16y ago

>>>any technology or project touted by the Indian government (and most governments, at that) is vaporware until shipped.<<< It depends a lot on the leadership and what are the driving forces behind something like this. Take the Apollo program; you had a charismatic leader whose death had to be avenged by fulfilling his dream. Further, there was a clear vision and a sense of urgency along with new leadership conducive to carrying out that goal. All of that and more made it a success, but the minute that fervor wore off it was killed. Think about it. Kapil Sibal is one of the most intense, charismatic and brilliant people I know. Yes, he is a politician and by virtue he is suspect, but it still holds true. The programs he set up do work. I am saying this since I benefited from one of them. He started, or pushed off IRIS (http://www.irissciencefair.com/about_iris.php http://www.irissciencefair.com/about_iris.php) the indian version of ISEF (http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/ http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/). That program is simply amazing, and it gave me the exposure that I desperately needed. So, maybe you never know. It might work out after all. Whether or not this will change the basic situation of the indian education system is another matter altogether.

ajju 16y ago
I have to admit Sibal has been doing good things with his education portfolio such as Eliminating 10th Standard board exams and allowing students to pick optional subjects regardless of stream. Fingers crossed for this and other ambitious projects succeeding.
digamber_kamat 16y ago
There is nothing great about Sibbal except that he talks about change. How a low cost device can help education? that too higher education? Keeping costs lower by be a great technological achievement but will that device be helpful is a question to be asked.

jbrun 16y ago

I think the line, "The final price will depend on the transportation cost." is very telling and something we will be hearing more and more in the future.

ww520 16y ago
Shipping the components or the final product from oversea isn't cheap.