A top executive of thin-client maker Wyse Technology, told The New York Times that Google has been in talks with his company. "The discussions are focused on a $200 Google-branded machine that would likely be marketed in cooperation with telecommunications companies in markets like China and India, where home PCs are less common, said John Kish, chief executive of Wyse," the Dec. 11 article said.


http://news.com.com/2061-10812_3-6016821.html

Growing the eyeballs through cheap computers sent to where the most of the people live. Not bad.

Uhh, color me unimpressed. For one thing, $200 is not a particularly low price point. Given that virtually everyone in China and India pirates the OS, you can probably get a full-featured PC for $200 in those countries (you can get close to that in the US). Plus the $100 laptop is coming.

Secondly, its based on the idea that consumers in those countries are neophytes who want a dumbed-down device.

Hopefully Google isn't stupid enough to actually do this. If they do, expect WebTV 2.0, with similar market outcomes.

It doesn't have to be that dumb. The $100 computer looked pretty good to me.

>Plus the $100 laptop is coming.

With Negroponte at the helm of *that* plan, the $100 laptop is probably going to fail.

Google thin-client computer, huh? :)

http://antyx.blogspot.com/2005/10/google-vs-opera-part-i.html

"you can probably get a full-featured PC for $200 in those countries (you can get close to that in the US)"

Actually PC equipment is cheaper in the US than pretty much anywhere in the world (short of Taiwan and China I suppose), in absolute figures. It's quite annoying.

When I was in Cali, I was asked to bring back a snowboard for a coworker who was heading back home a week after me; he couldn't take it himself because he was carrying a fulltower PC and a high-end CRT (sic) display.

>Secondly, its based on the idea that consumers in those countries are neophytes who want a dumbed-down device.

Why the fuck do you think that?
Do you still think than everything outside the US are tribal people?
Asshole.

A civilized person would've understood he was saying exactly the opposite. ;)

Philo

Techdirt's take:

http://techdirt.com/articles/20060104/1258203_F.shtml

Basically:

A) Why move into a low margin business?
B) This is the 9,000th rumor about what Google has been 'going to do'.

Lol. Give me back my "asshole"
:P
Sorry , i didn't read that well.

What ever they do, I am sure it will be Beta. :)

false alarm. utterly not happening at all apparently.

Phew!

Analysts said reasons for the heightened interest in Yahoo call options ranged from recent rumors that software company Microsoft Corp. might be seeking to partner or merge with the Internet company, to bullish expectations for the company's upcoming fourth quarter earnings report.

"The speculative activity in short-term calls might reflect the recent talk about an alliance with Microsoft," Ruffy said.

Such rumors have been rampant since Google Inc. recently fortified its lead in the Web search market by taking a 5 percent stake in Time Warner Inc.'s AOL Internet unit.

On Sunday the Los Angeles Times cited what it called speculation that Yahoo had rebuffed an $80 billion bid from Microsoft as too low.

"Why move into a low margin business?"

McDonalds has more money than De Beers.