PC for RS.5000

Rajesh Jain on Emergic writes about the need for low cost computers in India.

To take computing to the masses in India, we need to rethink the design of the personal computer. In the late 1970s and early 1980s when the PC was architected, networks did not exist. The PC was, in effect, a standalone device. This is no longer the case now. Local area networks and broadband networks offer high-speed, always-on connectivity. In addition, the continuous progress in semiconductors has ensured that processing power is available quite inexpensively. As a result, it is possible to think of a “thin client” with processing and storage taking place on a “thick server.” This disruptive innovation is the Rs 5,000 PC (5KPC).

The need....

* 1 million schools need 10 computers each for enabling primary and secondary education

* 100,000 colleges need 100 computers each to ensure digitally literate graduates

* 3 million small- and medium-sized enterprises need to computer-enable their 30 million information-driven workforce

* 40 million urban and semi-urban families need a computer

* 5 million staff in government need computers to build the foundation for electronic and efficient governance

* 5,000 hubs in rural India need 1,000 computers each to provide newer opportunities beyond agriculture and provide a foundation for transforming Bharat