On Fri, 2008-04-25 at 13:32 +0100, Nick Hill wrote: > I reckon EeePC computers cost around £45 to make,
> and with competition, and increasing volume, prices will be a little higher > than > manufacturing costs. (It is clear ASUS have mercilessly trimmed manufacturing > costs to the bone using a 7" screen where there is space for an 8 or 9" screen The 900 has a 8.9" screen but it's a lot more expensive. > which would substantially improve usability but have a cost delta of maybe > £3). > I estimate the costs of EeePC hardware when manufactured in tens of millions, > break down at factory gate approximately as follows (without VAT): > 7" TFT screen £7 > Keyboard, plastics £5 > Battery £4 Where can you buy laptop batteries at under a fiver? > PSU £2 > 4Gb Flash £5 > Processor, glue logic and PCB £11 > WiFi chipset & ancilliaries £4 > Packaging, manuals etc £2 > Assembly and testing £4. > > Total: £44+VAT. Didn't you forget RAM? Flash is for storage isn't it? I hope you are right but I think that is a bit optimistic. > (I have manufactured computer hardware, and pay attention to the pricing of > commodity equipment.) The above pricing structure will fall further as volume > drives further integration. > > Therefore, OLPC as a hardware offering is completely dead. OLPC is supposed > to > be cheap, but OLPC can't do cheap like ASUS and their inevitable imitators > can > and will. There are already about 6 I can think of with products ready for launch. > OLPC might be rugged, but I imagine that in a very poor African village, > schoolchildren will not be allowed to drop a laptop. A child would be > petrified > of dropping, loosing, or getting it wet for fear of consequences, and the > elders, I am sure, will make those consequences very clear. That is even if > parents dare allow their children to carry them. Ian -- New QCA Accredited IT Qualifications www.theINGOTs.org You have received this email from the following company: The Learning Machine Limited, Reg Office, 36 Ashby Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 8AQ. Reg No: 05560797, Registered in England and Wales. _______________________________________________ Fsfe-uk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/fsfe-uk
