A new computer class

Bell’s Law for the birth and death of computer classes says that a new class of computer comes along every ten years or so. Outside of these revolutionary periods the computer makers keep price constant but add more features. So, today's laptop is somewhat cheaper than older laptops but it is much more powerful. We are now seeing the dawn of a new class of computer, the ultra cheap portable. One example is the One Laptop per Child project, another is the Asus Eee. These computers are revolutionary because they offer less functionality (small screen, Linux based software) at a much lower price.