What can you buy for R110 these days? Lunch for two, a cheap T-shirt? How about a fully functional computer?<\/p>\n
If that sounds like a joke, you haven\u2019t seen C.H.I.P. in action.<\/p>\n
C.H.I.P. isn\u2019t much to look at. It\u2019s tiny – as wide as of box of matches and a quarter as deep – but it packs a surprising amount of power.<\/p>\n
With 4GB of storage, 512MB and a 1GHz processor, this little guy is about as powerful as most desktop computers were at the turn of the century, but at less than 1% of their cost.<\/p>\n
How can C.H.I.P. be both so tiny and so cheap? We have smartphone makers to thank for that. In order to keep size, weight and power consumption down to a minimum, companies like Apple and Samsung have spent a decade relentlessly shrinking their components down.<\/p>\n
This design paradigm, called \u201csystem on a chip\u201d (SoC), squeezes all the computing power required by a device into a single chip.<\/p>\n
This not only makes computers smaller, it also makes them cheaper. And because hundreds of millions of smartphones are sold each year, the cost per SoC is relatively low.<\/p>\n
But if SoC\u2019s are so cheap, why are smartphones so expensive? Simple: components like the screen, camera and memory add considerably to the cost, as does manufacturing, shipping and marketing.<\/p>\n
And of course profits: Apple and Samsung both make 50% to 60% (gross) profit margins on their devices.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s exactly why C.H.I.P. is such a brilliant idea. It takes a powerful computer that has been turned into a commodity, strips it down to the essentials, and makes it available to a world crying out for cheap computing.<\/p>\n
And C.H.I.P. is more than just raw hardware – it comes with a free operating system and a suite of open source applications. You can create and edit documents, surf the web, check email and even edit sound and photos – right out of the (match)box.<\/p>\n
Granted C.H.I.P. is essentially useless without at least a keyboard and a screen, but you can buy second hand monitors for less than R500 and keyboards for less than R100.<\/p>\n
An enterprising charity could pick up thousands of free monitors from the many corporations who constantly scrap old computers.<\/p>\n
For anyone used to their snazzy work laptop, C.H.I.P. is going to seem slow and limited. But for an underprivileged child, C.H.I.P. could be their first real taste of computing.<\/p>\n
In a world in which computer literacy is as important as reading or writing, affordable computing must form an integral part of upliftment.<\/p>\n
Next Thing, the startup company behind C.H.I.P., is probably unaware of the impact its product could have on the developing world.<\/p>\n
The merry band of hackers and makers who started the company are focussed on serving other companies – people who want to make their own devices cheaper.<\/p>\n
In doing so they may unintentionally help millions of poor people enter the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Companies like Next Thing are popping up around the globe, focussing on DIY electronics and open source hardware.<\/p>\n
Along with 3D printing they are part of the so called \u201cmaker movement\u201d which is reviving the spirit of independent exploration in a sector that has been dominated by giant corporations since the late 1970s.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a buzz around the possibilities of C.H.I.P. – talk of using them to power satellites and drones, excitement about an ecosystem of makers and hackers than could grow up around the little devices.<\/p>\n
Two similar devices have already enjoyed global success – the Raspberry Pi and the Arduino – and C.H.I.P. looks set to join their ranks.<\/p>\n
But whether or not any particular device is a long term hit, the long term trend is clear: computers will be everywhere and in everything. Let\u2019s make sure our children are ready.<\/p>\n
Republished with permission from the Mail & Guardian<\/p>\n
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