Comments on: Brazil's bumpy road to the low-cost PC

The best-laid plans to get computers to the poor oft go awry when red tape and pricing pitfalls get in the way.
Photos: Low-cost PCs around the world

[Klar]

Got and extra 2 grand?

I am currently in Brazil (though from the US), and purchased a
PC here last year. I paid over US$500 for a bare-bones PC with
XP, and some other software. Its frustrating to people who live
here to afford computers. To a middle-class family, even, this
price is like plopping down US$2000 for something.
There is plenty of free internet access as well, but the phone is
charged by the minute here, so to stay on the internet for very
long is not practical. DSL is also available, but out of reach for
most people cost-wise.
As an example of how the tarrif system works here, I was
looking at a digital camera the other day; the price was double
the MSRP for the US (presumably) because of the import taxes.
Oh, and that copy of WXP? I found out it was pirated recently.

[Captain_Spock]

"DSL is also available...

... but out of reach for most people cost-wise". Haven't the Brazillians heard of Cable and Wireless Internet Technologies that can also be employed to enhance and enable their internet experiences! The introduction of "competing" technologies would certainly force the cost of internet "connectivity" southwards and make the experiences of the Brazillians more affordable.... don't you think!

[Captain_Spock]

Brazillian State Agencies...

... and the Brazillian business communities in general should also get on board the Open Document Standards IT (Information Technology) Train like the possible formation of 'OpenDocument Foundation'; see link to CNET News.com article ( http://news.com.com/2102-1013_3-5926010.html?tag=st.util.print that would allow for the adoption of OpenDocument Computing Standards to which the overall Brazillian economy will not be subjected to "lock-ins" by large multi-national computer software companies like SAP and Microsoft!

[linuxuser.]

cheap pcs for third world contrys

i think your going about this all wrong why not collect all the used corpration computers all over the world and send them to these contrys where they cant afford new ones !!! and have internet over the power lines ??????

[Deven Shah]

why take the leftovers

a second hand usable PC in developed nation would still cost
around USD 200 and have all the maintenance and spare
unavailability/incompatibility headaches. And if you take the ones
the corporations discard they would not be able to use even most
of the basic software at decent functional levels. Its the government
attitude that needs a paradigm shift, if they really mean " computer
for everyone".

[Deven Shah]

Governments need do'ers

like us in india, brazil needs their politicians to take action
rather than just keep creating hype and getting on the news
daily.
Fortunately for us we had some of our key politicians who did
rather than talked. They started the rumblings in the late
eighties and it took us 15 years to reach here. Here where now a
basic usable PC is available for just under 350USD. Cheaper
browser PC's are available for just under USD 250. If the
government is serious just reduce the taxes and import duties to
zero overnight. I am sure the brazilian economy could survive
the little that they would lose from this. In time, i.e 3 - 5 years
the seeding and mass movement would happen and then they
could relook at the taxes. Once the PC's start moving in fast at
the prices above, access to the net at competitive rates/speeds
would automatically follow. Ford built the first car and the world
got higher quality gasoline. Then one would be able to really say
the revolution has begun.

[Captain_Spock]

"Brazil's bumpy road....

... to the low-cost PCs" could become smooth as a result of activities and follow-up actions ( which should include a sound Regional Information Technology (IT) Policy) now being undertaken by the "Initiative for Integration of Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA)"; see link:
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_local_news?id=35207398