$10 Indian laptop to actually cost $100, anyone surprised?
Come on, you didn't really believe that a $10 laptop was even remotely possible, did you? Yeah, didn't think so -- and unsurprisingly, that project sponsored by the Indian government to develop a low-cost laptop actually has a price target of $100, not $10. Chalk another one up to bad transcription, we suppose, although getting the price of a reasonable machine down to $100 won't be all that easy, either -- any bets on where the final price of this thing ends up?
Filed under: Laptops
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 5:15PM
We need an article on why it takes 5 presses of F5 to see your comment or reply. :( Please fix comment system.
The 3rd Hot Dog @ Jul 30th 2008 5:18PM
I think you're off by a factor of ten as well.
It takes .5 presses. I mean, 50.
Lowest Ranked @ Jul 30th 2008 5:18PM
You're lucky.
Mine takes 9 CTRL+R's.
G @ Jul 30th 2008 6:16PM
Are you that excited to see your stupid comments that you can't wait 60 seconds for it to show up?
OneLove @ Jul 30th 2008 6:27PM
...it takes 60 seconds?
rock99rock @ Jul 30th 2008 5:19PM
I believed it. Cause you told me so engadget. Now im just confused.
TomTom2007 @ Jul 30th 2008 5:21PM
nahh... it was a typo... right? ;-)
Krush @ Jul 30th 2008 8:03PM
actually I did believe it too -- the laptop would basically be a 1-800 number dialing device that connects to "Dave" in India and he would order him to do whatever is on your mind then. Want to create a document - Dave is ready to take a dictation ... you get the idea. I was only worried about how to access p0rn though .....
rock99rock @ Jul 30th 2008 8:20PM
@TomTom2007
engadget make a typo? Nevah!!
@Krush
Good point. We wouldnt want "Dave" to re-enact anything for us.
Fred @ Jul 30th 2008 5:20PM
I blame inflation.
BigD145 @ Jul 30th 2008 5:40PM
$100 American probably does spend like $10 in India.
John @ Jul 30th 2008 6:24PM
keeping in mind the per capita income in India is $2700, I would hazard to say you're completely full of shit.
Fred @ Jul 30th 2008 11:19PM
Or completely kidding. LMAO Turn the sarcasm detector up a little.
Hung @ Jul 31st 2008 12:23PM
rock99rock, you're an idiot.
@ John
I will assume that you simply misunderstood BigD145's comment. It was a little ambiguous, I'll give you that.
He meant to say spending $100 in America is liken to spending $10 in India. Not that $100 would amount to a $10 purchase in India.
Those numbers work out though. Average American income ~ $30,000, average Indian income ~ 3k. Power of ten difference in real purchasing power of equal amounts of currency.
Hung @ Jul 31st 2008 12:25PM
My bad rock99rock, you're cool.
I meant Fred. Fred is an idiot.
warrensn @ Jul 30th 2008 5:22PM
I bet I know what the repair costs on a $100 laptop are.
$100.00.
If anyone could make $100 laptops, China could?
So why don't they?
Uh? @ Jul 30th 2008 5:26PM
Well you see, technically, you have to factor in parts and labour co....
Don't make me be that guy!
Pochi @ Jul 30th 2008 5:23PM
Anybody who thought this $10 laptop was for real, raise your hand.
Ready?
If your hand is up, you're an idiot.
Sorry, Paul.
broli @ Jul 30th 2008 5:28PM
Oh my god...While I started scratching my armpit with my arm raised I started reading your post...honest to god.
aemond @ Jul 30th 2008 7:23PM
Not there yet but in my neighbourhood, there is a shop selling used P3 1000mhz Win2k at 35$ witch I use without any lag on a daily basis at home. This computer is wayyyyy faster than any eee pc.
Pochi @ Jul 30th 2008 7:24PM
@aemond
1) Not XP.
2) Not extremely tiny.
3) Not quite a $10 laptop.
aemond @ Jul 31st 2008 9:03AM
@Pochi: Like in your first post, we all want:
- Computer running good OS
- Very portable
- Cheap
- Not slow
- Buyable
- Screen bigger than 7in
Note that:
Current Netbook can't offer that (600$ isn't cheap or you get cheap battery or smaller screen)
I was just pointing that really cheap fast computer running good OS are easily buyable.
And personally, i don't care if the OS is Win 2000, XP, Vista, OSX, Linux or even Windows Mobile, I can do all my stuff on all of those. For me, the race is currently on the hardware.
Uh? @ Jul 30th 2008 5:24PM
I can't wait to get Crysis on this thing!
Lowest Ranked @ Jul 30th 2008 5:58PM
Uh?
phanbouy @ Jul 30th 2008 8:24PM
well it makes sense that's what his momma said when he came out
captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Jul 31st 2008 12:26PM
I will run Crysis at 1/10th of a frame ever 3 years.
Vernon de Thierry @ Jul 30th 2008 5:27PM
I wager a mere 12408.8 (rupees) will be slapped on the side of that puppy (not including postage and handling)
tiuk @ Jul 30th 2008 5:28PM
No, I'm not surprised, and I can't believe I had at least three different sites shoving it down my RSS reader.
Brett @ Jul 30th 2008 5:28PM
Five Hundred and Ninety Nine US Dollars.
Homeboy @ Jul 30th 2008 5:30PM
This smells like Eee all over again.
Sime @ Jul 30th 2008 5:32PM
more like OLPC
rlynd3 @ Jul 30th 2008 5:35PM
I actually thought it would be $5 given India's reputation for cost cutting. Oh well...
jason @ Jul 30th 2008 5:43PM
really? engadget? didnt they say it was coming in a couple of years.
right now you can buy a meal for $10. heck, a freaking USB cable cost $30
Shinigami @ Jul 30th 2008 5:46PM
$200 if it ends up just like OneLaptopPerChild (OLPC) program, but they promised they'll make it cheaper...eventually.
My bet it $160 per "something like a laptop" :)
Shinigami @ Jul 30th 2008 5:47PM
And where's my edit button?
Correct way to read it:
My bet is...
chefgon_ign @ Jul 30th 2008 5:50PM
When is it coming out? I expect $100 netbooks to be a reality by 2010. Maybe even Christmas 2009. Would you really be that surprised? We're getting pretty close.
jason @ Jul 30th 2008 6:15PM
I still dont get this... in the article that you linked it said that
They were developing a $100 laptop. wtf.
Eric @ Jul 30th 2008 6:25PM
600 quatloos on the newcomer!
TheGasMan @ Jul 30th 2008 6:33PM
"Come on, you didn't really believe that a $10 laptop was even remotely possible, did you? Yeah, didn't think so"
Well, you guys weren't entirely sure it wasn't possible either:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/29/india-developing-10-laptop-gartner-says-100-laptop-at-least/
This reminds me of many months ago when Nilay claimed XP SP3 would have a 10% performance boost one day, then claimed it wouldn't have any performance boost a couple days later, and then lied about it when someone pointed it out. Good times, good times!
Nilay Patel @ Jul 30th 2008 7:56PM
You're right, my diabolical conspiracy is so sophisticated that it involves directly linking the previous post.
TheGasMan @ Jul 31st 2008 12:31AM
@ Nilay Patel
Your XP SP3 article linked to the original post too.
TheGasMan @ Jul 31st 2008 12:34AM
Also funny to note that your response is sarcastic and ad hominem and thus conveniently doesn't address my claim.
jon @ Jul 30th 2008 6:36PM
i think that this will targeted at 100 dollars, then to the 200 dollar laptop, and then to the 349.95 laptop, and then follow those footsteps just like asus, and then whore out the laptop name like eee did.
giuliop @ Jul 30th 2008 6:40PM
That was what it was going to cost them, you fool.
roman.kim @ Jul 30th 2008 6:44PM
The Eee was going to be the $200 laptop when it was first announced, by the time I bought for mine it was $400. So this will cost $200?
aemond @ Jul 31st 2008 9:07AM
Minimum!
Even if it's 100$ (in India), 100$ transport will get you to 200$.
Allen Jazeera @ Jul 30th 2008 7:25PM
So the laptop from India that was going to save us loads of money winds up costing a lot more than we thought in the end. Mind you, there are absolutely no parallels to the engineering world that managers should learn, no sir.
Mav @ Jul 30th 2008 8:10PM
Can't say i'm not suprised
a laptop for 20 quid
was never going to happen really was it?
phanbouy @ Jul 30th 2008 8:25PM
so you _were_ surprised. zuh?
Danny.saad @ Jul 30th 2008 8:11PM
I think it'll definitely come up to around $200 but that's still not bad for what the target audience will use this for.