$100 Laptop is it a Dream or a Reality?

You have, no doubt, heard the expression "digital divide" an overused expression often encountered when someone is trying to justify more money spent on technology so that a community or business can "get ahead"

Well, "Digital Divide" to me means a person or persons are unable to access the world wide web because 1) they are not able to buy or afford the computer or 2) there is no power to operate computers (a very common problem in the poorer underdeveloped nations). Cell phones have been able to overcome some of the "digital divide" because of their availability and the lack of any reliable infrastructure in the country (i.e. telephone lines or power lines).

"The idea is as audacious as it altruistic: provide a personal laptop computer to every schoolchild—particularly in the poorest parts of the world. The first step to making that happen is whittling the price down to $100. And that is the goal of a group of American techno-gurus led by Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the fabled MIT Media Lab" economist Sept. 29 2005.

A group called "one laptop per child "(OLPC) have been able to combine a number of existing components in a new way; a "processor made by AMD, flash memory instead of a hard disk, will be powered by batteries or a hand-crank, and will run open-source software. The $100 laptop also puts all the components behind the screen, not under the keyboard, so there is no need for an expensive hinge. So far, OLPC has got the price down to around $130." Economist Sept. 29 2005.

This may not be such good news to the established laptop computer makers as there are other parties, who are not in the third world, who are also interested in a cheap laptop. The Governor of the State of Massachusetts has suggested the State should purchase one for every secondary school child when the cheap laptops become available.

Large sales to existing North American Institutions could seriously impact the market forcing customers to be content with "good enough" laptops and not having to upgrade as often. This trend would act to lower prices of all PCs.