Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Low-cost laptop for developing countries

The recent announcement by computer company Lenovo that they will be developing a low-cost laptop aimed at rural China is just one in a long line of similar endeavours amongst top IT companies.

Many of the major computer companies from around the world are competing to bring out the best low-cost laptop to be sold in developing countries. Particular attention is being paid to China as this has the world’s largest population, as well as the world’s largest amount of people not connected to the internet. In the country nearly 60% of its population which numbers 1.3 billion, live in rural areas, and of these 150 million survive on only £1 a day according to the World Bank. However, if this enormous amount of people could all be connected to the internet, then China could overtake America as having the largest online population. Therefore many of the big-name IT firms are now battling it out to get a slice of this enormous potential market. Dell has announced the introduction of one of its computers specifically for the rural market. The laptop will come in two configurations, 40GB or 80GB hard drive, and use the Windows XP operating system. Beijing-based IT company Lenovo, which owns IBM’s PC division, has developed a £99 computer that can plug into a TV and includes educational software. The chip-maker Intel has joined forces with the world's largest maker of computer motherboards Asustek to produce a $200 (£100) laptop known as the Eee PC, which comes after Intel’s Classmate PC, which was also made with developing countries in mind.

Microsoft are also keen to join the low-cost computer revolution, and are offering cut-price software packages to governments that provide free computers for schools. The package includes Windows XP Starter Edition and Microsoft Office Home, as well as other educational software and will be priced as low as $3 (£1.50) for some countries. The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project is also trying to bring computers to rural locations with its inexpensive, hard-wearing XO laptop, which is designed for use in an educational context, and will eventually cost $100.

Source: BBC News