| Appropriate Technology for Developing Countries |
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Tadao Takahashi Transcript: "If you want to talk about the major revolution in that, based upon ICT, in these developed countries, somehow you should have to consider the fact you have a new wave of technology incorporated into products and services which serve better the needs of the population of these countries than the population of the First World markets. "Example: look at interfaces. There is technology already for voice-based interfaces. But it’s not there in Windows. Why isn’t it there? Because you don’t need that really in the First World, though you would badly need it in countries where literacy rates are really low. "When are you going to have voice-based Windows in a pervasive way in least-developed countries? When people in the First World decide that they are too tired of typing and the interface is so neat that they prefer to use that. And the main point is, it’s okay for them because their situation is different. "The main problem is, is there a short cut for developing countries to get access to technology whose value is comparatively different from the same value of the same technology when you look at it in a developed country. "That’s basically the issue I’m talking about, so a low-cost computer is only one example of the whole range of technology and services that you should consider if you are talking about a broad development initiative which is going to entice the leaders of the whole world and which is going to incorporate global companies in their process as well. That’s my point."
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