India recently introduced a cheap tablet computer intended to lift villagers out of poverty and bridge the country’s “digital divide”. The computer, called “Aakash”, is part of a series of “cheap” innovations that are now frequent in India. The company’s developer, Datawind, is selling them to the government, teachers, and students for as low as $35. The Aakash can handle word processing, Web browsing, and video conferencing.The company intends for the technology to help rural businesses. For example, it could provide farmers with information to improve their yields.
The company wants to start a price war in order to lower the price of the Aakash as much as possible. Other than intending to drive prices down, Datawind encourages competition so that the “cheap” tablet can be improved.
Although the Aakash was developed with good intentions, it remains to be seen whether the device can create a significant effect on society, namely the problem that the product targets: poverty. It will be a challenge for Datawind to develop their simple and tangible product in order to combat a complex and intangible concept such as this. Without the correct implementation and distribution of the Aakash, the “cheap” innovation may not make much of an impact at all.
Source: The Globe and Mail
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