As far as I know, Africa is not a country, neither is it a federation of countries.
Why on earth do people think a "one size fits all" solution is right for a whole continent ?
I am sick with this "standardization" of these people, this "y'all screwed people, in the same sinking boat, let us help you".
People there don't need a cheap crap, they can see those gorgeous smartphones advertised on TV, and they want one of those, who would like a "smartphone for the poor people" ?
So, stop this condescending business approach, be fair with the continent and ask for more equity. This way, African economy will thrive (this continent has a lot of resources), enabling millions of people, giving them chance to buy a full-featured smartphone and be proud of owning one.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a crappy low cost smartphone won't be of any help, I'm just saying thing can be lot more better, more fair and more "dignifying".
This isn't really a valid criticism of the program. The project is currently moving into specific markets. These are all places with access to undersea cable and with significant penetration of Western European languages. From the linked Huawei announcement:
"the Huawei 4Afrika will be available from Huawei, in Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Angola, Morocco and South Africa towards the later part of the 1st Quarter 2013."
From the original post: "This online hub will initially be available in Morocco and South Africa and will expand to other markets over time"
There is nothing wrong with selling fairly priced products to people who will get incredible value out of them. Something tells me the people buying these phones won't share your elitist view of phone ownership. These 'undignified' phones are much more powerful than top of the line phones were five years ago.
>who would like a "smartphone for the poor people" ?
In America, I see people who get a Blackberry Curve free with their phone contract and are pleased as punch to show off their new "smartphone". One encounter that sticks in my mind was when I almost got hit for saying that a Blackberry wasn't really a smartphone while I was at a party not knowing that a very satisfied and very drunk Blackberry customer was standing beside me, someone who was proud that they could afford a Blackberry Curve and didn't take kindly to anyone attempting to disrupt their self-image.
Yes, customers will buy phones for poor people. The Blackberry Curve is still selling. The iPhone 3GS is still selling. If anyone is being condescending here, it's you and your view that you understand a situation when it's obvious you don't. Phones for poor people doesn't need to have a stigma attached to it. "If they can't afford an iPhone 5, they don't deserve a phone at all" is what I'm getting from your comment. Where's the dignity in that?
TL;DR: after establishing an almost undisputed OS monopoly through OEMs in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, Microsoft is now looking forward to also trap most users from Africa on their first computing experiences by selling them refurbished cheap smartphones and PCs running an insecure and patchy OS under the umbrella of pushing development forward for their own good.
I wouldn't like to play a game of Risk with those executives.
I love iOS but wouldn't Android be a better choice in merging markets? A lot more variety and cheaper. I'm not sure why Google hasn't brought Android to the desktop. It could be a real third desktop choice.
Google can't make money in places where people are less likely to use online services. Pushing Android in the bush, doesn't do anything for them. On the other hand, because Microsoft earns revenue when phones are sold, they have an interest in encouraging sales in places with low penetration of wireless data services.
There are Android smartphones that go for $50 in Africa. And they will be down to $30 by the end of this year. Now that's an affordable smartphone. Do they really think $150 is affordable in Kenya? That's like a high-end device for them.
And there are plenty of Android devices from $50 to $150 and beyond, too. Microsoft is in no danger of "winning" Africa.
Microsoft appears to have some interest in a long term smart phone strategy which entails treating it as a general computing device - e.g. TouchDevelop. Currently, Google appears to be moving in a different direction centered around online services.
Because Microsoft sells its OS it can make money when hardware is sold. Google cannot do that with its current offerings.
Haha man they can't sell any WP8 over here so they send them to Africa in hope of getting them hooked to Windows like they did to the rest of the world, after all the number of PC users there is really low and people all over the continent are buying cheap Android phones.
Ascend W1 costs $300, so Microsoft is subsidising 50% of the phone. Not sure how that is not considered as price dumping.
Also, the 4Afrika website looks like a typical short-lived Microsoft marketing initiative.
I'm disappointed that we see responses like this at HN of all places. We're supposed to be more educated and less ignorant about the world here.
In simple terms, while some parts of Africa are indeed poor and in need of assistance, the majority of the continent is doing ok with many countries falling solidly into the middle-income category with well-developed and extensive consumer markets. As a case in point, Africa's mobile penetration is at least 80%, it's the first place where mobile wallet payments are widely and regularly used and many countries are seeing rapid smartphone adoption.
You can't view Africa through a single simplistic paradigm.
I would appreciate if you did not judge my opinion.
I already said that I am not suggesting that everyone in africa is starving. At HN of all places I would expect people to RTFM... All I said is that I can not overlook a few hundreds/thousands/millions (the exact number are not really important) of people starving so easily as you (or others) and focus on getting a cheap smart phone. I will say again that this is text book hybris.
I am only pointing out my perspective without judging those who do not share my view, please try and do the same without jumping to conclusions.
If you choose to air your opinion in a discussion forum like HN, you ought to expect it to be judged.
Supporting the introduction of more affordable technology into African countries is not hubris, of the text book type or any other, it's pragmatism. As we have seen in country after country poverty is permanently alleviated not by aid but by development. Affordable technology is a key driver of that.
I have seen first-hand what a transformative technology mobile phones has been for people stuck in poverty, allowing them to trade with others, receive critical medical information, form more protective societal bonds and reduce the danger of frequent migrations to find employment to list just a few. M-Pesa's benefits were mainly not to the wealthy of Kenya, but to its unbanked poor to whom it gave new abilities and protection.
You cannot look at Africa merely as a problem to be solved by charitable means, because those countries that are struggling need capacity-building, not a permanent reliance on aid.
I've travelled the world enough to realise that people are the same the world over. Imagine how you'd feel if you were denied affordable technology on the basis that many Americans are living below the poverty line and you'll begin to understand why Africans might find your assertions absurd.
Microsoft and Huawei aren't exactly equipped to feed people. They are, however, equipped to sell a relatively inexpensive smartphone; putting the sum of human knowledge in peoples hands also has it's own merits. Not to suggest this is some act of pure corporate philanthropy, but it's serving a purpose nonetheless.
You realize that Africa is quite large continent with areas of vastly different developmental stage. Generalizing Africa as one food- and water-deprived blob is really disingenuous imho.
I never said that every single person in Africa is starving, if that is where you are getting.
All I am saying is that the percentage of people literally starving in this continent is so huge that talking about an affordable smartphone is a hybris, if you are familiar with the concept.
It feels inhuman, disgusting, pathetic and a lot of other feelings (to me - IMHO) that someone takes action to address the lack of smartphones in Africa before he adresses starvation.
But then, I would not expect anything less from M$.
I believe the best way of dealing with the starvation problem in Africa (or anywhere else) is to provide the workers with the skills to compete in the high technology employment marketplace. Smartphones are a good way to provide low cost access to web-based training.
Africa cannot afford the cost of providing wired access to the Internet; providing wireless access is orders of magnitude less expensive than trying to wire up the entire continent.
I would hope that an initiative like this would encourage others (like Mozilla with their lower cost, more open smartphone projects) to try to help provide Africa with better, less expensive Internet access.
Notice how many of those apps solve an actual need, and/or save money. Not all, but I still find that inspiring, if not shaming, compared to the apps I tend to read about on HN and elsewhere.
Gosier added that many young people were now solving problems using apps: "This generation of Africans will build an app that demands their governments come to their villages and fill holes".
Of course Microsoft is doing this for more selfish reasons, but I just wanted to point out that being able to connect and communicate is important and does help people to help themselves; they don't have a lack of smartphones per se, but a lack of that infrastructure. Desktop PC and landline internet everywhere just aren't in the cards yet.
I have no idea of Microsoft meddling around with this will actually help, or make things worse, as seems to be so often the case. In that respect I agree with you. But still, what is often just a frivolous gadget "here", can really become a tool for others, it certainly does so for many Africans; so I'd be all for supporting such efforts that have no strings attached.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a crappy low cost smartphone won't be of any help, I'm just saying thing can be lot more better, more fair and more "dignifying".