Comments on: Intel eyes PCs for developing nations

The chipmaker unveils plans--but few details--for inexpensive computers that can handle adverse conditions.
Photo: The Community PC

[tomw99]

Internet cafes already in rural India

There already are Internet cafes in rural India. What I saw on a recent visit were ordinary desktop PCs being used in cafes, businesses and even a convent: http://www.tomw.net.au/travel/india.shtml

The cybercafes are used by foreign tourists but also by locals: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2005/12/cybercafes-in-mapusa.html

The better equipped cybercafes have banks of dangerous looking lead acid batteries to supply power during the frequent blackouts. Some businesses had individual Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) for each PC and even the convent's computer used by the nuns had one: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2006/01/networked-nuns.html

As Lombardi write, Intel's Community PC makes more sense than Nicholas Negroponte's $100 wind up one per child computer: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2005/11/is-100-laptop-windup.html

Apart from not having an actual useable computer, what will stop Negroponte's wind up computer is dependence on charity. The idea of sharing computers through cybercafes which charge for service will work much better.

[Maccess]

The $100 laptop and Internet Cafes are complementary

Hi, tom:

Actually the two projects are very complementary. Internet Cafes provide an access point to the Internet for the mesh network of the $100 laptops.

The issues that need to be resolved are:

1) Legality of providing bandwidth. Some broadband agreements in third world countries are outstandingly anal regarding sharing bandwidth even if you're on a business plan.

2) How will the cafes make money by supporting the mesh network? If anyone can find the answer to that, there is no reason why the two (cafes and the $100 laptop) can't coexist and co-prosper.

[Maccess]

Hat's off to Intel...I'm already doing the same thing.

I am curently deploying Internet Cafes in third world countries.

They make sense to users because there is no capital expense on their part. Families in those income brackets have other Capital Expenditure priorities: A refrigerator, television set, etc. that the whole family can use, vs. a computer which appeals more to the younger members of the family.

Another matter is broadband. Families can't afford to be tied into a monthly service contract for broadband. Income is unpredictable. Cafes provide them a pay per use option.

Computer maintenance is another attraction. If they have their own computer, someone needs to learn how to fix it, or they need to spend to have it fixed. With Cafe computers, users don't worry about maintaining their own computer.

The only comment I have about the photo is that Intel's prototype looks freaking huge. Cafes are always cramped for space. Mini towers, like Dell's small form factor PCs, or the Shuttle PCs are more attractive to cafe owners. It might even help bring down the cost of the PC.

[hackershandbook]

Intel want to increase market share in India

Indian's have a nice PC making business of their own and there are PCs next to the phone booth in virtually every Indian village.

This is just an attempt by Intel to push their computers into India and increase market share at the expense of the local IT business.

[Captain_Spock]

This Looks Like The Conception....

... of a sound business model; since "the PC is also a source of income for the kiosk owner, the cost can be higher than other developing world devices that have been limited in functionality by price point. Intel declined to name the price of the machine but said in a statement that it is partnering with local banks to offer payment plans to village entrepreneurs looking to set up a Community PC kiosk..."; by extending this concept to SOHOs around the world it is quite apparent that certain "services tasks" (back office operations, project planning, application development...) could be outsourced to these SOHOs whether local or international thereby allowing the more established businesses around the world to concentrate on the business at hand; re: marketing and selling...!

[anotherdike]

What?!?!

This is a terrible idea. What happens when the kiosk owners decide that they get to choose who accesses the freely distributable information that we know as the internet? By the way, what OS is currnetly planned to be installed to these machines?

[anotherdike]

Oye...

Oops, looks to be WinXP from the pictures. Great. People who know very little using an insecure OS. Great.

[Maccess]

Umm..yeah..

I run Internet Cafes. Anyone who is willing to pay the rental rates is welcome. It doesn't make business sense to do otherwise.