Another Editor
11-03-2011, 06:29 AM
First there was the One Laptop Per Child initiative, then there was the Indian company that is making a $35 Android tablet for students. Now, there is the Raspberry Pi:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/sample-page
A charity based in the UK aims to release a computer that they project will cost $25 per unit. So far, we know that it will run some version of Linux and the CPU will be not much bigger than a business card.
This has the potential to create new markets by opening computer usage to people who otherwise could not afford them. (Though that raises the question as to how such people would get online; some people pay more for a month of Internet service than this computer is projected to cost.) The pictures and videos on the site show that the Raspberry Pi can play videos and the makers intend it to be used to teach children about programming; but I suspect one of the niches this will fill is to enable people to read e-books.
The future market for electronic books continues to grow.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/sample-page
A charity based in the UK aims to release a computer that they project will cost $25 per unit. So far, we know that it will run some version of Linux and the CPU will be not much bigger than a business card.
This has the potential to create new markets by opening computer usage to people who otherwise could not afford them. (Though that raises the question as to how such people would get online; some people pay more for a month of Internet service than this computer is projected to cost.) The pictures and videos on the site show that the Raspberry Pi can play videos and the makers intend it to be used to teach children about programming; but I suspect one of the niches this will fill is to enable people to read e-books.
The future market for electronic books continues to grow.