Low-cost PC wanted: the alarm from the USA

There is a lack of low-cost, small-sized PCs that are easy to access for everyone. The New York Times talks about it and it is not an alarm linked to events such as Prime Day, or to new products for which supplies cannot be guaranteed. The problem is wider and more radical, linked in particular to the Covid emergency. And this is not a problem that lurks in the Italian digital divide: it is a cry that comes from the USA, where too often we take for granted that the situation is rosier than the Italian average of an elderly and not very digitized country.

PC market: low cost wanted

According to the NY Times, in fact, Covid has led to a greater need for low-ranking PCs since e-learning - imposed by social distancing and closure of schools due to the multiplication of infections - it requires both teachers and students to be equipped. Well, this aspect is anything but obvious: Italy has defined specific bonuses and a distribution process (which is disputed) through telcos, while in the US the schools have operated on their own, however, finding it difficult to find the necessary supplies.

Distributions for large orders are now in the order of months: a sudden and large demand has in fact highlighted all the existing bottlenecks on a market that is already in difficulty. What schools are looking for are devices of the rank of Chromebooks, with services and connectivity, but without particular computational capacity. The school has specific needs related to video calls, online collaboration, reading, study, but without having to access particular graphic elaborations that may require too many resources.

The laptop offers for Prime Day show how the market puts a high number of mid-range models are available, which with various discounts also fall into the 350-500 euro range, but often the offer is not as structured on lower-end devices. In short, to spend less, you need to access older devices. The PC market has experienced a major rebound in recent weeks, but what is underway could more than anything else be a real redefinition of the center of gravity where supply and demand meet: in the changed context, needs change.

Source: New York Times