Low cost personal or public learning devices – looking towards 2012 Jonathan Renaudon-Smith

4 out of 5 people in the world have never touched a computer Inclusive access is an issue everywhere

ICT for the next 1 billion How many products or initiatives do you know about in this space? In fact there are x listed on infoDEV – ICT4D and counting Just as well because it took the entire computer industry many years to equip the first billion; The relatively affluent first billion space is saturated with competing devices and offerings, the race is now on for the 4/5ths – growing the Total Available Market (TAM); Competition is there currently and ultimately helps the end user - all can live side by side - real production and distribution limiting factors here; Convergence? Surely not one ideal device – diversity and choice - different tasks - different peoples – different pockets; Leapfrog strategies in education possible.

How many products or initiatives do you know about in this space?

In fact there are x listed on infoDEV – ICT4D and counting

Just as well because it took the entire computer industry many years to equip the first billion;

The relatively affluent first billion space is saturated with competing devices and offerings, the race is now on for the 4/5ths – growing the Total Available Market (TAM);

Competition is there currently and ultimately helps the end user - all can live side by side - real production and distribution limiting factors here;

Convergence? Surely not one ideal device – diversity and choice - different tasks - different peoples – different pockets;

Leapfrog strategies in education possible.

Challenges with laptops in UK schools now Still expensive for universal access; Functionality exceeds typical requirements; Prone to e.g. hard disk failures, virus infection etc with associated headaches of data recovery for the school; Extra technical staff often needed to cope; Various makes and models in school with different software, working today or not – can alienate teachers. All causes TCO to spiral upwards; Real TCO not always obvious e.g. training for unfamiliar systems/interfaces or to make repairs or offers of low cost licenses which may cost more later or the cost of ever increasing specs;

Still expensive for universal access;

Functionality exceeds typical requirements;

Prone to e.g. hard disk failures, virus infection etc with associated headaches of data recovery for the school;

Extra technical staff often needed to cope;

Various makes and models in school with different software, working today or not – can alienate teachers.

All causes TCO to spiral upwards;

Real TCO not always obvious e.g. training for unfamiliar systems/interfaces or to make repairs or offers of low cost licenses which may cost more later or the cost of ever increasing specs;

Total Cost of Ownership Made up of five elements: Initial cost Software and licensing Maintenance & upgrades Training Replacement cost The LCC potentially reduces all of them: Low initial cost and dropping Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) Maintenance free – some offer local swap outs not repairs and machine effectively virus free with no writeable on board memory? Training should be minimised if familiar software environment Built to last – no more 3 year replacement cycles

Made up of five elements:

Initial cost

Software and licensing

Maintenance & upgrades

Training

Replacement cost

The LCC potentially reduces all of them:

Low initial cost and dropping

Free & Open Source Software (FOSS)

Maintenance free – some offer local swap outs not repairs and machine effectively virus free with no writeable on board memory?

Training should be minimised if familiar software environment

Built to last – no more 3 year replacement cycles

Change examples… Better equity of access with costs typically between $170 and $400; Schools can choose either 1:1 access or school based mobile clusters (personal or public); Most are personal productivity tools – not generic PC replacements; This gives true x-curricular opportunities – the tools are placed where they are most needed – no moving classes to PC suite; No maintenance overhead or data recovery (where there is no hard disk in the device); Some preset config. - increases teacher confidence; Screen size of these devices supports extended working and is mostly mature technology. Should offer excellent battery life – no more charging in lessons

Better equity of access with costs typically between $170 and $400;

Schools can choose either 1:1 access or school based mobile clusters (personal or public);

Most are personal productivity tools – not generic PC replacements;

This gives true x-curricular opportunities – the tools are placed where they are most needed – no moving classes to PC suite;

No maintenance overhead or data recovery (where there is no hard disk in the device);

Some preset config. - increases teacher confidence;

Screen size of these devices supports extended working and is mostly mature technology.

Should offer excellent battery life – no more charging in lessons

Educational content perspective Browser based content from web, network or cluster cache; Local storage via usb/MP3 player devices; Edu games option when combinations of machines are used; Applications can be added via USB or SDRAM cards or e.g. ROM reflashed; Free Web storage increasing.

Browser based content from web, network or cluster cache;

Local storage via usb/MP3 player devices;

Edu games option when combinations of machines are used;

Applications can be added via USB or SDRAM cards or e.g. ROM reflashed;

Free Web storage increasing.

Where will the jobs be? Currently low labour rates in Far East and India enjoyed by developed nations; Political commentators suggesting that China will lift prices – Push; Pull - Developing nations want knowledge economies and jobs – political pressure to re-distribute manufacturing or at least assembly; Indigenous content development and training; Recycling plastics from spent computers.

Currently low labour rates in Far East and India enjoyed by developed nations;

Political commentators suggesting that China will lift prices – Push;

Pull - Developing nations want knowledge economies and jobs – political pressure to re-distribute manufacturing or at least assembly;

Indigenous content development and training;

Recycling plastics from spent computers.

To watch for… System in Package (or System on a Chip) will reduce computer sizes dramatically; Add to that the advances in flexible screen displays and gradual improvement in manufacturing costs of flexible displays; How about roll up screens for classroom walls in Africa, world class content and no more projector bulbs!

System in Package (or System on a Chip) will reduce computer sizes dramatically;

Add to that the advances in flexible screen displays and gradual improvement in manufacturing costs of flexible displays;

How about roll up screens for classroom walls in Africa, world class content and no more projector bulbs!

To watch for… . Thin film flexible solar panels (student bags, car dashboards, window sills, jackets, cheap mobile phone chargers?)

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Thank you Jonathan Renaudon-Smith [email_address] www.ink-media.com “ the future has arrived - it's just unevenly distributed” science fiction writer William Gibson