[Grassroots-l] Fwd: The Nugget: An Emerging Markets Newsletter

Wed Apr 29 15:16:26 EDT 2009

I find this article interesting and probably relevant to most people on
these lists.
What I find most interesting are the links in the very last line under "Also
in the News", and the fact that I hadn't heard news of them over grassroots
or support-gang yet.

Hurrah!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vital Wave Consulting <info at vitalwaveconsulting.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Subject: The Nugget: An Emerging Markets Newsletter
To: ceomybiz at gmail.com

   [image: The Nugget]<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-dF.DPpPYDHAeE%404201528-WhYyRNvo16Xpk>
   * April 29, 2009 *
           *The Nugget* is a weekly comment on business growth opportunities
in developing-country markets.

Each week, Vital Wave Consulting
<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-XmFyS7cUjs83.%404201528-OD3ozNifmsb6o>mines the
news on technology in emerging markets and sends one choice nugget to you.

For deeper research and analysis, review our Inside Emerging
Markets<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-hD.0WKIyFHapQ%404201529-FHgvYnqytPj8Q>reports,
or contact
us <http://m1e.net/c?89063623-JhzSW6/pAiUP.%404201530-d0O17mFg6Oe72> to
learn how Vital Wave Consulting can help your company realize near-term
business growth in developing countries.
       [image: Vital Wave
Consulting]<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-bJ7tBth0Th/xg%404201528-aWXm57qrrnI86>

*Contact Information*
Phone: +1 (650) 964-1316
Fax: +1 (650) 644-0110 info at vitalwaveconsulting.com
www.vitalwaveconsulting.com<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-ztQzoBp5u9rrE%404201528-LPf17K3XO8Vn%2e>

* Who Wants the African PC Market?*

Computer Aid International (a non-profit supplier of computers to developing
countries), ZDnet UK, and a trio of African universities just released the
results of a comparative study of low-cost, low-power computers for the
African market. Few media outlets reported on the study, and those that did
provided a somewhat inaccurate
conclusion<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-irAMZtmKEzoYk%404201531-6tyt9zwtKzUZ2>:
Asus Eee is more suitable than OLPC’s XO machine for Africa. Other devices
reviewed included Inveneo Computing Station, Intel’s Classmate PC and
NComputing’s X300.

 *VITAL WAVE CONSULTING FREE REPORT*

* Landscape Analysis of
Low-cost Computing Devices*

* This report (with accompanying datasheet) details and analyzes 93 low-cost
computing devices launched or announced between 2004 and 2008. Analysis
includes processor dominance in various segments and form factors, Windows
versus Linux, device designs, target markets, and leading players**.*

Download <http://m1e.net/c?89063623-uha859Aj2GJdk%404201532-hNfYS/T/RlL9I>

In fact, the full
report<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-jkExaXMW2q/sw%404201533-Zr.xDpKFEhDXI>is
more nuanced in specifying which solutions are more suitable for
individual users (Asus Eee) and which are better for school computer labs
(NComputing X300). Computer Aid International (CAI) and its partners deserve
credit for raising some important issues about the African PC market,
including infrastructure challenges that can impact the suitability of
computing solutions, particularly for rural areas. The report’s emphasis on
power consumption and the changes they made to methodology (e.g., playback
of downloaded rather than streaming video) is necessary for an honest
evaluation of computing solutions for many developing countries. However,
some critical issues were buried or not addressed in the study. For example,
the Asus Eee tested by three of the four evaluation teams was the 701 model
running a Linux operating system, a product that has been essentially
abandoned by Asus in favor of models with Windows XP and a larger keyboard
and screen. Similarly, the report promises to shed light on the total cost
of ownership (TCO) for each of the evaluated devices, but estimates of
critical cost factors such as maintenance, training, and replacement from
theft or damage are not included in the analysis (see Vital Wave
Consulting’s report, Affordable Computing for Developing-country
Schools<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-4CtUnNeC6njoQ%404201534-.ge.xDI0h200Q>,
for a thorough consideration of TCO for school computing solutions).

Though the CAI study is certainly welcome, it is perhaps most remarkable for
what is not said – the competitive field vying for the African market is
pretty thin. Their champion, Asus, has turned its attention to mature-market
consumers, and neither OLPC nor Inveneo have the needed financial backing to
rapidly scale in a market as diffuse and challenging as Africa. Intel’s
Classmate PC (and other machines based on its reference design) is still
around, but Intel’s focus on the low-end processor market may be
waning<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-i5i/t2X3JEdik%404201535-0zvihVGUEhtPk>.
Of the 5 companies represented in the CAI testing, only NComputing (not yet
one of the giants) seems committed to aggressively pursuing the education
segment in emerging markets. These efforts may not be able to meet the
steady growth in PC usage and private ownership in Africa. The completion of
several large undersea cable projects could cause a spike in demand for all
kinds of computing devices from Cape Town to Cairo over the next few years
as a result of the imminent increase in low-cost bandwidth coming to the
continent this year. CAI’s study suggests there’s ample opportunity for
companies to step up and meet that demand.
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*Also in the news: *

   -  Knock-off mobile
phone<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-POYVZQTzGnZaE%404201540-8th9VCtP4PrpQ>business
in China strong
   - Nokia buys stake in
HCL<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-q2R8s5z1tYzPA%404201541-omSlF.vmnyMwM>
   -  OLPC switches<http://m1e.net/c?89063623-l8oCRQvdQgxRE%404201542-ak.J88UbNeqgs>to
VIA; wins two new
   deals <http://m1e.net/c?89063623-GrVzbeZc0OEVA%404201543-gVHn.obonIpHk>

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