India to Unveil $10 Laptop

India’s government will launch an ultra-cheap laptop computer tomorrow as part of a new initiative to update the nation’s educational system, the Guardian reports. The Sakshat will sell for $10 (500 rupees), a price India hopes will be accessible for most students. The laptop is the centerpiece of a national plan to give college students access to textbooks, class lectures, and homework online.

Each laptop costs about $20 to make, but India’s top education official said the cost is bound to come down “with mass production.” Nonetheless, some tech experts are skeptical: "You cannot even make a computer screen for $20. And India does not build much computer hardware. So where will the savings come from?" asked the director of India’s Netcore Solution.
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