$100 computer closer than you think

NetworkWorld reports that a firm in China is ready to market a $129

The 998 renminbi (US$129) Tian En GX-2 was developed by Sichuan Sinomanic Technology LLC, based in the western Chinese city of Chengdu, and is being pitched as a low-cost system that can help narrow the “digital divide” between China’s rural and urban areas.

The GX-2 is based on a 400MHz MIPS processor from Raza Microelectronics Inc. It runs either a version of the Linux operating system or FutureAlpha, a Chinese-developed operating system. The GX-2 has128M bytes of DDR (double data rate) DRAM, one USB 2.0 port, a 10/100M bps (bits per second) Ethernet adapter, and a 1G-byte SD (Secure Digital) memory card to store data.

The $100 Computer is, of course, a laptop, but who’s to say a $150 laptop isn’t around the corner from Sichuan Sinomanic Technology LLC? BTW, who knew that a LLC structure was available in China?

iTunes on Vista

Dave Winer wonders who’s at fault

The iPod is a publicly released product. Vista was in public beta for many months.

Yet, Apple is warning iPod users to not install Vista, which shipped last week, until they get a chance to adapt their software so that it doesn’t destroy the user’s music and podcasts.

From outward appearances it seems someone isn’t taking care of business, and it seems that’s Apple, since you didn’t need a special agreement with Microsoft to test software with Vista. Apple can hardly plead poverty, they make enormous amounts of profit from Windows iPod users. Further, it’s so typical of Apple to ding users of Windows, to use them as pawns in their psychic battle with Microsoft, which serves no one, except perhaps them. Putting the users in the middle is bad business.

Putting users in the middle of a corporate psychops is undoubtedly bad business. Apple would clearly be in the wrong if they were the lone hold-out. Evidence suggests something else is going on with Vista:

Quickbooks is not ready.

Adobe is not ready.

McAfee is not ready.

Two possibilities:
(1) Microsoft may have rushed the product to meet an artificial deadline to assuage Wall Street.
(2) Apple and others considered Vista a low priority and did not dedicate adequate development resources.