A tablet for $35?

India is in the process of releasing the Aakash tablet.  This would not be ground-breaking news, if it was not for the price, which is only $35 with a government subsidy, and $60 at retail price.  Chikodi Chima at venturebeat.com states "India, which has a population of nearly 1.2 billion and is home to 40 percent of the world’s poor, has experience paring down high-end technology and making it affordable and accessible.".  Now the tablet will provide many in the country the chance to get connected to the Internet.  It does not have all of the frills of an iPad, but it is built to serve a population where many have never been on a computer.  The Indian government is so committed to the tablet, that they are scheduled to release a second version in April 2012 that is faster and holds more battery life (http://aakashtablet.org/).  This tablet will open up educational opportunities by allowing the users to create documents and spreadsheets, or watch online educational videos.  The free knowledge available on the Internet may now be used by the poor in India to educate and increase their quality of life.  I can picture a small, remote village in India where children gather around with their tablets to learn about the outside world.  This tablet may be a sign of things to come in the future, as technology becomes more affordable and more and more products become available to all people.  This is definitely a step in the right direction for India and their educational system.


Read more about the tablet here.