It has been almost 17 years since Nicholas Negroponte unveiled his grand plan to provide computers for children around the world with the goal of eradicating digital illiteracy, but also revolutionizing the industry at the same time. The final product, the OLPC XO laptop, was supposed to cost $ 100 and is generally considered a commercial failure, as it only shipped a few million laptops since its inception.
But it is his legacy that has helped shape the world in which we live computer manufacturers should think of more affordable devices that are not connected and available to the masses. This gave us Netbooks (with the Eee PC splashing in 2007), Chromebook, tablets and ultimately, thanks to economies of scale, at least a $ 100 smartphone – and it’s a testament to the journey since the OLPC first captured the imagination of many.
A $ 100 smartphone that can actually be used
With Android 11, the Doogee X96 Pro, doesn’t look like your normal cheap price. With four cameras on the back and a 6.5-inch HD + screen, it’s a far cry from the XO (monochrome-screen) laptop that made headlines in recent days.
Set the standard for the entry level, cheap smartphones, the X96 Pro also runs on an eight-core ARM-based processor equipped with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. In comparison, the original Netbook had 4GB of built-in storage and its hardware is powerful enough to be used as Web Hosting server.
Connectivity is where we’ve seen the biggest paradigm shift in the last decade and 4G LTE is now present even at this price point with dual SIM slots and fast, must-have Wi-Fi.
What does a $ 100 smartphone teach us about the future of computing?
OLPC’s ambitions were noble, but in the end, the solution came for a new high-performance, ultra-affordable and secure-to-use computing platform with guaranteed global availability. from.
In 2021 and in the foreseeable future, devices called 8464 (8 cores, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage) will be the basis for ubiquitous personal computing, whether for consumers or businesses. Although the X96 Pro is not, strictly speaking, a business smartphone, the presence of a fingerprint reader and Android 11 indicates that it is, in theory, a secure platform.
Gradual global recovery after Covid can speed up the transition to simpler devices like the X96 Pro, which are versatile and powerful enough to fulfill Negroponte’s dream and OLPC initiative. With the rise of free online courses, abundant high-resolution video content and produced by professionals and masses of text, never in the history of mankind has it been possible to have so much knowledge, so cheap, in history of humanity.
Platforms like the X96 Pro pave the way for even more exciting experiences for companies that use augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) thanks to their gross computing and connectivity capabilities. Expect a new generation of thin customers this could be deployed as more organizations move closer to smaller business models and massively adopt the first SaaS models.
Windows 365 i Microsoft 365 they have firmly tipped the balance towards software as a service and with PCaaS now common, now seems to be the time when software (and services) regain the focus of the company (and the dollars) on hardware.