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.
Comments
How about affordable food and water in Africa first?
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.
So is generalizing Africa as one "need a low cost" smartphone blob, too.
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.
Mobile phones are not only useful to chat and check facebook:
http://akirachix.com/Blog/finalists-of-mobile-garage-student...
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.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201202090172.html
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".
And last, but surely not least:
http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/how-mobile-phones-are-tra...
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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.