India's New $35 Tablet PC Gets Everyone Excited

The recently announced $35 tablet computer in India is sending shockwaves across just about every facet of the tech world. Seriously, if it were a $35 paperweight no one would have even paused to look at the device. Obviously, while far from what any techno fan would call cutting edge, just the existence of a working prototype is enough to make iPad owners wonder just how much profit is tied up into that slim gizmo. Again, while the $35 tablet is like and iPad, it is not and iPad. Using a memory card instead of a hard drive is an interesting little quirk, but using open source software is even more exciting.

Why? Because, innovations and materials like these cost less. Lower costs means lower retail prices. Of course, economics has a fair bit of factor here as well. You likely could not manufacture something like this here in the United States for $35, unless you used a whole lot of robotics. Still, just because the unit costs that much, it likely does not reflect the amount of money, time, sweat, and painstaking effort that went into development. It is kind of like the pharmaceutical world where the first pill costs $350 million dollars, but the rest of the pills down the line are less than fifty cents each. But what is particularly admirable about the whole deal is not really the piece of technology.

It's the people behind the tech, and the reasons why a device like this is necessary: for kids. The "One Laptop Per Child" drive is a great ambition, but even those devices are likely going to pop in at the $100 mark. Getting a cheap tablet PC into the hands of kids everywhere, even if they have to swap an SD card or Flash Drive to change classes is a great idea. Not only will schools everywhere in India and beyond save thousands upon thousands of dollars on textbooks, but also online homework and other in depth assignments have huge potential. Not just for cost savings, but for education. In effect, by making school easier to contact and use, education becomes more efficient. This could reshape the way education is viewed across the globe.

Of course, there is still a long way to go in producing the device, among other hurdles that need to be cleared. But the fact that the world is so close is a great sign of things to come, both from the technology world and from the generations that will benefit from its' existence.

sources:
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