All That Work Towards The $100 Computer And The Market Beats Them To The Punch
from the whoops dept
The story we’ve been hearing for ages about the $100 computer is back in the news again today with the story that Rupert Murdoch is tossing some pocket change at the project which still has had some trouble getting off the ground. Murdoch talks about how excited he is about the project, noting that researchers have already got the price of the machine down to $125. That’s good to see, but it looks like Moore’s law and basic market competition are racing them to the bottom, as Circuit City yesterday announced that it’s going to sell a Compaq laptop for just $99 this holiday season. Admittedly, it requires a year’s subscription to Vonage — but it does show just how cheap traditional computers are becoming anyway, without necessarily resorting to coming up with a special computer just for the poor children of the world. That isn’t to slight the project, which tries to add other features, such as a crank to deal with the lack of electricity in some places, but to note that there are other factors out there playing into this, and instead of dumping millions into research, it could pay off to just wait a little while longer for the component prices to drop.
Comments on “All That Work Towards The $100 Computer And The Market Beats Them To The Punch”
Yes, but the key is "HOLIDAY SPECIAL"
I don’t think this particularly matters since its just one of those “Holiday specials” and if you look in the fine print of such buys, there’s ALWAYS a string attached that you have to sign up for a year’s worth of MSN or so (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc) in order to get the $100 rebate to bring it down to that advertised $99…
Don't make them
Do we really want all the poor third worlders turning into novice spammers? I, for one, am thankful that internet access in places like Iran are restricted. Even with the restrictions, I still get a barrage of spam from those people — they bombard me with pm’s.
Re: Don't make them by dorpus
Spoken like a true hillbilly redneck…all talk, no brain. Mr. Dorpus, you deserve to get bombarded ’til the day you enter hick heaven.
Re: Don't make them
Do we really want all the poor third worlders turning into novice spammers? I, for one, am thankful that internet access in places like Iran are restricted.
I, for one, welcome our new Dorpus-spamming overlords.
Re: Don't make them
“those people”
are we stereotyping again?
Re: Don't make them
No, that’s just me. I make it *look* like it’s coming from Iran to throw you off.
You make it almost too easy though, by being a complete and utter moron.
Re: Don't make them
Ah, Yet another Refreshing intelligent post by dorpus.
Honestly, why is this guy still here?
Okay, enough flaming.
I for one think that the $100 dollar computer project is a good idea, because even in (Oh god dorkus, do I say it?) America there are people who simply cannot afford a computer. One thing that a lot of you people are failing to realize is that these machines are not meant to be “Bleeding” edge. They are meant to give people with no access to computers that access. Forget the circuit city comsuq thing and look at the project for what it is.
Anyways that’s all I got to say.
Re: Don't make them
Idiot!!!!
Why is it only third world countries that spam??? I can’t believe we still have such ignorance in this country. I am willing to bet that 4/5 of the spam that we get is generated inside the US. Plus even when you get spam from an IP address outside of the US, it could still originate inside. Plus, you think someone that has never had a computer before is going to be able to spam your email account.
The ignorance in the computer world in the US is unbelievable.
Re: Re: Don't make them
I feel the need to point out that ignorance isn’t any more or less rampant in the US than the rest of the “civilized” world– just us Americans that show it off more.
I think the idea as a whole is commendable, myself. They’re not looking to finally catch these countries up to the rest or the gaming comunity– they’re looking to give them access to the rest of the world. It’s not good or bad, it’s a tool, and whatever the end result becomes, it’s the right idea.
If you have a better way, I’m sure everyone would love to hear it. 🙂
Re: Don't make them
BS man. why iran people want to spam you??? You are not that important. They are traying to do something for those people.You are sh…
Real purchase price
How much cash do you have to lay down to walk out of the store with it? A bunch more than $99. The $99 only comes in after you file all the rebates and manage to keep your pledged sub. in for the year long contract. You don’t truly end up paying $99 for the laptop until your sub. is complete and the contract is over. Until then you are liable for whatever penalty fee they put in for breach of contract if you drop the subscription, and that’s probably the remainder of the difference from MSRP *at the time of purchase*. Drop the contract with a month to go an you might owe the whole thing.
$99 my tushy. Doesn’t anyone remember the old Prodigy/MSN discounts of a decade ago? You could save $400 off you new PC if you get 3 years of service! Utter lying crud. Marketing gimmicks != $100 laptop, ever.
It seems like you have ignored the true cost for the sake of slamming the $100 laptop project (not that they don’t deserve criticism).
Don’t you guys also slam those other strategies that try to give away physical goods and make money off of services for them? Not only for the poor strategy often applied, but also because they aren’t actually free? What is this if not the same as those (as far as not truly costing the advertised price)?
Re: Re:
It seems like you have ignored the true cost for the sake of slamming the $100 laptop project (not that they don’t deserve criticism).
Didn’t ignore it. Mentioned in the post that it clearly does cost more, but am simply noting the trend of cheaper and cheaper laptops to hit the market, suggesting that the actual price is likely to keep getting lower as well.
Re: Re: Re:
noting the trend of cheaper and cheaper laptops to hit the market, suggesting that the actual price is likely to keep getting lower as well.
Have we already created the $100 laptop? While real prices continue to drop, inflation continues to rise, amplifying the effect. What price would a laptop have to currently carry to meet an inflation-adjusted $100 goal set way back when the first “$100 computer” project was launched?
Just to state the obvious once again – the compaq definitely COSTS more that 100$ to make, despite that it is being sold for that much.
And on the other hand – they are not simply dumping the money on a research which is useless, that are inventing LOWEST COST instead of the popular MAX COMPUTING PERFORMANCE. Which are quite separate things after all. ‘Cause it’s possible to put trash spare parts together and build a 100$ barebone PC, but will anyone guarantee that that thing would work for a week at least? Somehow i doubt that.
After all, all the progress is for the better, for it at least reveals your mistakes! 😉
So Dorpus...
Ever actually been outside of North America?
Dorpus definitely seems like one of those people who assume that anything outside of America and Europe is “poverty stricken 3rd world”.
Re: So Dorpus...
Ever actually been outside of North America?
Yup, spent a third of my life outside of the Western World, in fact. I participate in non-English forums daily, but techdirt gets upset when I start posting non-english links on here.
Re: Re: So Dorpus...
Re: So Dorpus… by dorpus on Nov 16th, 2006 @ 3:57am
Ever actually been outside of North America?
Yup, spent a third of my life outside of the Western World, in fact. I participate in non-English forums daily, but techdirt gets upset when I start posting non-english links on here.
Two years in France doesn’t count.
Re: Re: Re: So Dorpus...
Fuck France, I don’t give two shits about them.
Re: Re: Re:2 So Dorpus...
Why not just say where you lived then, dorpus?
And if you have traveled, why would you refer to Iran as a third world country, when you should obviously know better?
Re: Re: Re:3 So Dorpus...
Why not just say where you lived then, dorpus?
Restraining orders. They’re afraid that a public declaration would tarnish their image.
The $100 Computer
Get a grip, stop smoking dope and come live in the real world. And remember that waiting for something to come to you results in it blowing right on by while you are left with your thumb up your a**. That is why the world is kicking our a**.
This is about building a machine that won’t die the first time it gets a speck of dust in it, can operate in areas where there is no power and can help those that use it to learn how to better themselves and their communities. It’s about bringing the future to those still living in the conditions of the past. Profit has never been a serious concern of the project.
cheap, simple, sturdy and useful
Paperweight!
I am probably not getting it right, but am I to understand that they’d like to drive the cost of a computer to $99– presumably to make it affordable to pretty much anyone? If that is the case (and I’m pretty sure it is) then what are these afformentioned poor people going to do with it? Spreadsheets? I mean, if they can’t afford more than $99, you think they’re going to float $20 a month for dialup? (or however much it goes for) Definately not dsl or cable, I’d think.
Just package together a pen, some paper and a deck of card and charge them $99– it seems like that’s what they’re getting.
Like I said, I must have missed something. Enlighten me?
Re: Paperweight!
The project is being sponsored. The computer is given to them for free, and they have free internet over a mesh network. The idea is to connect them with the modern world and ideas.
Although am I the only one who thinks these kids are just going to discover porn very fast?
You go ahead and buy your $100 laptop. and while youre at it you might as well buy some memory, upgrade the CPU, increase the hard drive space because the computer wont run anything more than windows and even that wont run well. Cheap computers arent good for anything but surfing the internet. You cant play games, edit photos/video/music, run accounting software, render 3D models, use autocad, or anythign else on these cheap PCs. These are for suckers who think a compuer is a computer.
Or he could just dump his money into something that would be useful to the poor children of the world. Like food, clean water, clothing. You know. Important stuff.
dorpus admits to being 6yo
If porn will make them happy then more power to it, but it won’t. The big downside to the effort may be the toxic by products of the computers. The health and environmental impact may, just may, do more harm than good.
Better than computers would be infrastructure, I agree.
excepting
The $99 *laptop* would be cheaper than the market workstations.
in their mud huts
Somehow I doubt all the third world kids squatting in mud huts would have much need of a years worth of Vonage service. But then again Vonage is sorta in financial trouble anyway and some doubt it will last another year anyway.
http://www.thatpoliticalblog.com
Anybody who pays just $99 for a laptop deserves the worthless, cheap piece of crap they’ll get. There is no free lunch in this world. Good quality goods come at a price, and that’s never going to change. If you feel the need to be a cheapskate and buy such a cheap computer, be prepared to receive a piece of junk.
They already have cheap crap PC's
It’s called eMachine.
Let’s compare this 99$ computer to an eMachine, and see which better and last longer!!!
Or maybe eMachine’s is behind this project…HaHa
Precisely why is it that folks feel the need to bring “3rd world countries” up to current social-economical benchmarks? A flood of cheap PCs will only destroy what culture they have left to call their own by exposing them to our culture. Dorpus is onto something, lets not feel too sorry for “3rd world countries”, most of them are that way because of corrupt governments who already owe (debt forgiven, you’re welcome) millions to “western civilization” in financial/humanitarian aid and who don’t know any more than my cat does about how to care for a nation of people. While many folks would utilize such a device in a way that can further develop their nation and their own sense of self worth, and hopefully they will encounter or create some decent porn in their leisure time.
But Dorpus is right, there ARE bad people everywhere, so yes; some of them will become spammers, and some will use these PCs as tools to create problems for as many people as they can. Welcome to freedom.
And what’s with the $100 bit? If you live in a “3rd world country” you sure as F*** won’t be burning your cash on a computer; I’m guessing it would more likely be spent on what was referred to earlier as “You know. Important stuff.” If Murdoch and others are feeling so F***ing benevolent; why don’t they just manufacture the stupid crank-for-power pc, give the things away, and write it off on their income taxes like they do with everything else?
if it wasn’t for france, we’d still be under brittish rule.
or a part of canada? we wouldn’t have the LA purchase. among other things.
Re: Re:
Well if it was for the USA you twit France along with most of Europe would be under NAZI Rule.
well then
If it weren’t for child-like bickering the internet would be a very dull place.
it should be "Not An Anonymous coward"
Nazi, comunist, republic. Different forms of government that use power and fear to control their people.
who knows, maybe a Nazi government would make america better?
remember, deomcracy is the worst form of government, aside from the rest of them.
the best argument against democracy is to spend 5 minutes with the average voter.
Re: more than just the kind of gov't.
Nazi is not a form of government it’s a German acronym for the political party of Hitler and his followers. WW2 Germany had a totalitarian gov’t. (Someone obviously correct me if I’m wrong please). There is a famous saying that is brought to mind, “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. If we put one person in charge of everything things will go awry. It’s not just the kind of a government a country has that determines overall effectiveness, its the moral of the people (incl. nationalism/patriotism) the economic model and even the countries foreign policy. Theres a big difference in a country with an isolationist foreign policy vs. an expansionist foreign policy. Look at what kind of trouble an expansionist FP has gotten America into in the recent few decades.
Wow this is great!!!
This is really entertaining! I love how a cheap computer thread gets turned into a political and regional dispute!!!! MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!
😉
$100 PCs and the third world
Some kid in Darfur is going to be fascinated with what’s inside that $100 PC. After he cracks the case open with a rock, just to see ‘what’s inside,’ we need to grab him and bring him to a Western country. Give him a free education all the way through high school and college. Those kind of kids, with their curious minds, are what the West needs. They are our genuises and leaders of the future, and their talents are going to rot and go to waste in a third world hellhole country. If we aren’t going to do anything to improve the lot of the poor souls of the Sudan, then at least we should make sure their bright minded kids and young people have a future. If it takes a goofy $100 PC to do it, then that’s fine with me.
Godwin's Law
“As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.”
Godwin's Law
Alle wegen des kleinen Gehirns Herrn Dorpus’ und der grossen Öffnung.