Despite its density of natural resources, the African continent
(generally) is in a deep socio-economic rut. Instead of spurring
desired growth and development, the aid and resources being poured
into Africa have only fueled increased debt and vulnerability. The
region is obviously in need of an effective new growth strategy.
I argue that, more and more, it’s looking like this solution
must be an internet infrastructure. While that may initially sound
a bit insane, considering that many African nations can’t even
afford to feed their own children, prevent basic diseases and fight
off core corruption, there are more than than a few good reasons
for laying down internet cable, hooking up satellite and dotting
Africa with wi-fi hotspots. Some of these include:
1. Education: Getting kids online will afford
them access to information and virtual learning. Some will even
attend school via the web. As opposed to many physical African
schools, the web actually has resources, cutting-edge information,
and teachers who are up-to-date with current technologies.
2. Economic Infrastructure: Getting adults
online is like getting them to a job – and one that actually pays.
Imagine how many people could work in virtual worlds or do some of
the more-or-less simple administrative tasks already being
outsourced to developing nations? Their price points would
certainly give them a competitive advantage when pursuing labor
opportunities.
(cont.)
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With the
rapid rise of the iPhone and Microsoft’s
announcement that it will back the One Laptop per Child initiative, a massive
battle for the African computer market may be shaping up sooner
than expected. 
The
AP reports a new deal between Apple and cell provider
Orange that
will bring the iPhone to “Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic,
Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland
and African markets later this year.”
At the same time,
Microsoft has finally agreed to provide Windows to the now
promising OLPC initiative after years
of ridiculing the then far-fetched project.
Though the iPhone presently costs more than a OLPC PC, $399 vs. $100, that price is due to sharply
drop (perhaps to the $100 -$200 range) with the imminent release of
the new 3G iPhone, which itself may be priced at just $199 if
rumors
about a hefty AT&T subsidy prove correct.
While lack of comm infrastructure and politics will certainly
remain the primary barriers to diffusion, it looks as though these
low-cost yet high-value products, driven by large companies getting
accustomed to rapidly exploding markets in which first-mover
advantage is critical, may catalyze a perfect storm for
connectivity in under-developed nations, most notably African
countries. (cont.)
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Billions of currently computer-less people will never interface
with a traditional keyboard. They will instead leapfrog to new
touch-screen interfaces on smaller devices such as the Apple
iPhone
or the new One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) design unveiled yesterday.
Sporting dual touch-screen panels connected by a hinge that
allows the device to fold open like a book, the OLPC
XO-2 is scheduled to hit the market in 2010. At an
estimated $75 price point, this will make the device a vastly more
viable competitor of a 3G iPhone than the current OLPC
design.
Though the current OLPC will surely
make some inroads as an educational device in under-developed
countries, as suggested by johnfrink
in
this comment thread it’s reassuring to see that Negroponte and
the OLPC design crew have their ducks in
order when it comes to future viablity and marketability of their
product. The new model will stand a much better chance of grabbing
critical market share vs. the iPhone while also enabling a wider
touch-screen keyboard interface than its main competitor.
That being said, the 3G iPhone will still have the edge when it
comes to telephony, digital photography and portability. Plus I’m
sure that Apple, with their cognizance of rapid product cycles, is
already at work on something similar to the XO-2. (cont.)
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