India unveil world’s cheapest laptop (photo/picture)
Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal unveils the Rs 1,500 laptop for students in New Delhi on July 22, 2010.
The Rs 1,500-laptop is here!
New Delhi: The world’s cheapest laptop was unveiled yesterday in New Delhi by Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sipal. The device will be available for Rs 1,500 (around $30) in the year 2011, designed specifically for students.
Kapil Sibal said, “If more companies decide to manufacture a similar device, prices will come down automatically.”
The device, no bigger than a conventional laptop, is a single unit system with a touch screen and a built in key board along with a 2 GB RAM memory, wi-fi connectivity, USB port and powered by a 2-watt system to suit poor power supply areas.
“When we started the project, the response from the private sector was lukewarm. Now many are willing to join the innovation,” Sibal said.
“We will give some subsidy on the device. As far as transport is concerned, if the transport cost in less, the government can bear that as well,” Sibal added.
The ministry also invited private players to produce similar low cost computers. The low cost laptops will be distributed in institutions by the HRD ministry
According to the sources, the ministry has started its efforts by holding discussions on this concept with a group of experts at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay.
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IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A PALMTOP. Another gimmick to fool the poor.
I am co-founder of India's first cloud eLearning company – BigGyan (BigGyan.com). I am neither surprised nor amazed at this. It sounds too good to be true but as far as tech is concerned, the industry as a whole is already at a place where this is expected. Just see the number of cheap mobile phone companies that have come up recently. As far as hardware is concerned, netbook is nothing but a slightly bigger touch phone. By 2011 (when this product will come to market), industry will be saturated with such products. What I am concerned about is that, why government of India needs to launch such new products and make a mockery of themselves when they fail. Mr. Sibal again has all right intentions just that he ends up going in wrong directions. We have seen so many products by so called IITians where they create fastest car, world's most fuel efficient car. Somehow, I have never seen any of them to make to the market. It is better that Hon Minister sticks to policy making than engage in Buzz Marketting for his government.