Low-cost computing is here

A lofty ideal "" that of empowering school children with a laptop each ('One Laptop per Child', or OLPC) to enhance their learning experience ""is finding wing in unexpected ways. The original project which adopted this goal is enmeshed in a clash of egos, and in controversy over teaching methods and business approaches. But rival businesses have adopted the same objective, and the happy end result is likely to be a choice of ultra-low-cost laptops, with cheap software to boot. The digital divide may therefore be bridged by schoolchildren in developing countries much faster than anyone could have hoped.

The idea of an easily affordable laptop has existed in some form or the other since the 1960s, and Prof. Seymour Papert of MIT's Media Lab developed the idea in 1985, in "The School of the Future". Perhaps the first real answer to the challenge of low-cost computing for kids was the XO (which runs open-source Linux and AMD chips), from former Media Lab's director Nicholas Negroponte, who is the founder of the OLPC project. The original cost was Rs 4,000. This escalated to Rs 7,500 (including shipping costs) because of design upgrades (more memory and a faster microprocessor) and because the initial production volumes would not enjoy economies of scale.

The OLPC project was supported by companies that are arch rivals "" Intel (which has now pulled out) and AMD, besides Microsoft, Linux and Google; so perhaps the project was bound to run into choppy weather. To counter the OLPC, Intel introduced its Classmate PC for developing countries (including India), which is said to cost Rs 9,000-12,000 but was launched in India in July-August last year for Rs 18,000. The Classmate PC includes hardware, software and learning programmes. Intel teamed up with HCL Infosystems (which offers both Microsoft and Linux) and Educomp to introduce the Classmate PC in India. Wipro and Zenith Computers are expected to follow suit soon.

Intel had also announced it was partnering with Dr Negroponte's OLPC project. Six months later, the tie-up has ended in acrimony. Dr Negroponte, it is alleged, asked the chipmaker to stop selling its Classmate PC while it was part of the OLPC. Intel reasoned it ought to support multiple platforms (not the XO alone). Also, there were differences over how the education market should be approached. The Intel approach is to use school teachers and sell to schools rather than the government. Dr Negroponte, on the other hand, is said to bypass teachers, which is not a favoured approach in emerging economies. This is one of the reasons why the OLPC project has received a cold shoulder from the Indian government. The other reason could be that Dr Negroponte was associated with the MIT Media Lab, Asia, with which the Indian government had an unpleasant experience a few years ago. The OLPC Foundation, however, has recently joined hands with Reliance Communications, which is running a pilot in a village called Khairat, near Karjat (in Maharashtra).

Elsewhere, Dr Negroponte is still on a strong wicket. Google, AMD and News Corporation each gave $2 million to the OLPC foundation, which received $16.5 million in contributions last year and reportedly has nearly $9 million cash in hand. It also has orders from Uruguay and Peru, but Nigeria finds the escalated costs a deterrent. Meanwhile, Taiwanese, Indian and Israeli sellers are launching sub-Rs 15,000 laptops. And Intel continues to sell its Classmates in Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan and India. For good measure, Microsoft (in a bid to counter Linux) has said it will offer developing countries a $3 (Rs 120) software package that includes Windows, a student version of Microsoft Office and educational programmes. Libya and Egypt plan to buy this ultra-low-cost software. Dr Negroponte's ambitious goal of having 100-150 million users by the end of 2008 is not going to be realised. But low-cost computing is here.