3 ms·

A lot of people wonder how this can be done for $9, but as it was pointed out tablets based on the same specs (A13 SoC, 4GB storage, 512MB RAM) can already be f

by mrb 12y ago

A lot of people wonder how this can be done for $9, but as it was pointed out tablets based on the same specs (A13 SoC, 4GB storage, 512MB RAM) can already be found starting at $30 [1]. Take off the display, case, battery, camera, cable, charger, and yes it is certain the CHIP can be manufactured for approximately $9. Also keep in mind the company doesn't need to make profits selling the CHIP itself. Their business plan seems to be to sell it at cost while making money on the plethora of accessories: the LiPO battery is $10, the VGA Adapter is $10, the HDMI adapter is $15, etc. Also they might try to make a $0.50 or $1.00 profit here and there on shipping costs (the FAQ even has an entry "international shipping is too expensive"). Enjoy your $9 computer. 15 years ago a machine with these specs would have cost 1 month of an engineer's salary... I love technological progress! [1] http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-A13-Single-Core-8GB-Google-Android-4-0-Touch-Tablet-PC-MID-WIFI-Dual-Camera-/321747700995 http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-A13-Single-Core-8GB-Google-Android...

noblethrasher 12y ago
> Enjoy your $9 computer. 15 years ago a machine with these specs would have cost 1 month of an engineer's salary... I love technological progress! I was about to dispute that statement, because I remember that used Dell Latitude C600 laptops (with 512 RAM and 20 GB HDD) were going for about $700 on eBay around 2002. But, that same laptop cost over $4000 just two years prior. So, indeed, that could have been a month's wages for an engineer. Still, it's amazing that something can go from "prohibitively expensive" to "impulse buy" in the span of 3 years.
- mrb 12y ago
  For comparable specs, on top of the $4000 you need to add: - 4GB of solid-state storage. This alone was $4000 for 4GB in 2000: http://www.jcmit.com/flash2014.htm http://www.jcmit.com/flash2014.htm - Wireless adapter. They were very rare and expensive back in 2000 but I can't find exact price information

by mrb 12y ago

noblethrasher 12y ago

> Enjoy your $9 computer. 15 years ago a machine with these specs would have cost 1 month of an engineer's salary... I love technological progress! I was about to dispute that statement, because I remember that used Dell Latitude C600 laptops (with 512 RAM and 20 GB HDD) were going for about $700 on eBay around 2002. But, that same laptop cost over $4000 just two years prior. So, indeed, that could have been a month's wages for an engineer. Still, it's amazing that something can go from "prohibitively expensive" to "impulse buy" in the span of 3 years.

mrb 12y ago
For comparable specs, on top of the $4000 you need to add: - 4GB of solid-state storage. This alone was $4000 for 4GB in 2000: http://www.jcmit.com/flash2014.htm http://www.jcmit.com/flash2014.htm - Wireless adapter. They were very rare and expensive back in 2000 but I can't find exact price information