Veteran journalist Chin Wong (remember PC Digest?) writes:
Multimedia notebooks that sell for about P30,000 will hit the market when the third phase of the People’s PC program is launched later this year.
A joint project between Intel Microelectronics Phils., the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and Microsoft Phils., the People’s PC program seeks to spur the used computers by making them more accessible and affordable.
Even at that price, the local Intel chief said “the notebooks under Phase 3 of the People’s PC program would feature an Intel Celeron processor and a combo drive that would enable users to burn their own CDs.” I believe he meant Celeron M. I couldn’t find retail prices for that chip – I imagine it is sold only to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
What they didn’t say is – who is the market for these units? The first two phases for desktops were for home users and for small business.
And if we could dream, if these units will have WiFi cards, hotspot pricing should go down as well!
8 comments
Schools and students perhaps? Universities abroad encourage students’ use of laptops. Many hardware manufacturers even have student discounts. Imagine buying an Apple iBook for 80% of the retail cost. Sweet!
Now if we can have something like that here, with the hardware costs subsidized, socialized, or at least broken down into installment-type payments, laptops would be more affordable to students, who would most likely be one of the consumer groups who’d get the most benefit from this People’s PC project.
this could be really beneficial. not only for students but for everyone. if the manufacturers will make the package really efficient and reliable, why would one go for an expensive laptop? and that i think will make a quick boost in pc market. i believe that there were peoples pc program for desktops too. for the price affordable but the specs were seemingly low.
sana meron din hulugan..
No WiFi capability? I will be having second thoughts about this. I mean, what’s the purpose of being mobile if you’ll just end up “unplugged”. And at a price of P30,000? Add a few thousands more you can get a much better hardware. Migs already wrote about this.
https://pinoytechblog.com/archives/budget-laptops
so far the cheapest laptops i’ve ever seen with better-than-normal specs is averatec… for about $1000 (or most of the time less) you can get a hold of an above mediocre intel-based laptop.
For $1,000 I’d get myself an iBook 12″. 🙂
true that!!! damn, or i’d get myself a mac mini and an in dash 7″ motorized screen DVD player (as a monitor) for my car. perfect for wardriving…
Does the CICT partnership mean that the people’s PC is pre-installed with bayanihan linux ( http://www.bayanihan.gov.ph/ )? or could buyers have the Bayanihan Linux OS installed upon purchase?
What’s the latest word on bayanihan linux? the version i tried (the second lauched) didn’t get me far as a newbie with linux in 2003.
ka edong