For some, even “$100 laptop” – XO by OLPC – seems to be dramatically cut in terms of performance and feature-set, but developers from India said that they had managed to create a mobile computer that costs just $10 in mass production. The system will be demonstrated next week.

The $10 laptop with “2GB RAM capacity” has come out of the drawing board stage due to work put in by students of Vellore Institute of Technology, scientists in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT-Madras and involvement of companies like Semiconductor Complex, reports Times of India web-site.

“At this stage, the price is working out to be $20 but with mass production it is bound to come down,” said R P Agarwal, an official for an institute in India.

Technical specifications of the $10 laptop are unknown, however, it may be expected that the system will have 2GB flash, which points to Linux operating system as well as basic programs and heavy reliance on web-based services. It should be noted that screen as well as other components and materials represent the lion’s share in the price of an inexpensive mobile computer, hence, it hardly matters what processor powers the $10 laptop, but it will be interesting to know the display size and technology.

It should be noted that OLPC’s XO was not a hot seller in India, which is why the $10 laptop is projected to be very popular. The question is whether the project is heavily subsidized by the government, as in this case it is clear that technology inside as well as cost do not exactly depend on each other.

Tags: OLPC, XO