India’s $35 tablet may be canceled
I know this will come as a huge shock to everyone who’s been following the story closely, but it looks like the Indian government is having a hard time keeping its promise to deliver a $35 tablet computer. According to The Economic Times of India, the vendor tapped to build the Sakshat tablet failed to hold up its end of the bargain and the government has canceled the deal.
This may not be the end though. The government is seeking a new vendor.
That said, it’s always been hard to believe that anyone could build a tablet that would sell for just $35 unless it were heavily subsidized. The Economic Times article cites a government source that claims the components for the computer were costing close to $125 — or nearly four times as much as the Indian government was hoping the tablet would cost consumers.
For some reason the article repeatedly refers to the Sakshat as a laptop, but the prototype devices shown off last year were clearly tablets running Google Android.
