May 21 2008 / by Alvis
Category: Technology Year: 2010 Rating: 2 Hot
Billions of currently computer-less people will never interface
with a traditional keyboard. They will instead leapfrog to new
touch-screen interfaces on smaller devices such as the Apple
iPhone
or the new One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) design unveiled yesterday.
Sporting dual touch-screen panels connected by a hinge that
allows the device to fold open like a book, the OLPC
XO-2 is scheduled to hit the market in 2010. At an
estimated $75 price point, this will make the device a vastly more
viable competitor of a 3G iPhone than the current OLPC
design.
Though the current OLPC will surely
make some inroads as an educational device in under-developed
countries, as suggested by johnfrink
in
this comment thread it’s reassuring to see that Negroponte and
the OLPC design crew have their ducks in
order when it comes to future viablity and marketability of their
product. The new model will stand a much better chance of grabbing
critical market share vs. the iPhone while also enabling a wider
touch-screen keyboard interface than its main competitor.
That being said, the 3G iPhone will still have the edge when it
comes to telephony, digital photography and portability. Plus I’m
sure that Apple, with their cognizance of rapid product cycles, is
already at work on something similar to the XO-2. (cont.)
Overall, the new OLPC design is very
encouraging because I can now imagine two low-cost, useful and
truly diffusable products with the potential to connect
underdeveloped regions to the web, which according to Metcalfe’s Law
should grow value for everyone who’s part of the network.
At the same time, expect us residing in more economically mature
countries to benefit directly from the lower prices that will
result as at least two quality products go head-to-head for a
rapidly expanding worldwide market. Such a dynamic could have a
major impact on our under-developed regions.
As a final note, it’s interesting and amusing to see my
simulation of what’s likely to occur in underdeveloped and African
markets change significantly in just 24 hours. I’ve got to give a
nod to futurist
Jack Uldrich for his piece on Unlearning
the Future in which he points out that we should all be ready
to quickly adjust as new data comes in.
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