The first South African-made entry-level laptop, branded Dot Connect, is the brainchild of Soshanguve-born and bred, Mpumelelo Mahlangu, 27.
There is a lot of hype about the relevance of online platforms in skill development and training in modern society (‘4IR’being bandied about), yet there is minimal effort, if any to address, barriers that learners from underprivileged background face. The most common issue is the contentious high cost of internet data to access various platforms. Yet it is only those with laptops and related gadgets that should be more concerned about this. What about those who do not have the luxury of even an outmoded laptop?
A young man is on a mission to address this problem. Soshanguve-born and bred, Mpumelelo Mahlangu, 27, has developed the first South African-made entry-level laptop, branded Dot Connect.
Mahlangu says he had been motivated to create a laptop that will make a difference in people’s lives, after noticing challenges learners encountered during the hard lockdown in 2020. “My inspiration came when I realised that with schools closing, movement restricted and many people working or learning from home, the average South African would be left destitute.”
Duly, Mahlangu made the most of the ample time of last year’s hard lockdown, when his peers where indulging in all sorts of binges, to design the prototype of the first South African-made entry-level laptop.
Moreover, having gone through university without a laptop and depending on internet cafés and computer labs, Mahlangu empathised with the plight of the majority of South African students. He, then mooted the solution of an entry-level laptop, a product all consumers would be able to afford.
Dot Connect Electronics, the holding company, aims to manufacture and service the laptops locally, which contributing to the much-needed job creation. The company is driven to break into a market dominated by traditional brands and, lately, hard-to-pronounceable, jaw-breaking names, states Mahlangu. “We don’t have a South African-made laptop or TV. We want to penetrate this market and ensure product quality, affordability and job creation.”
As an entry-level laptop, Dot Connect will be able to perform basic day-to-day tasks, such as running programmes like Microsoft Office, Mahlangu explains. “The device is suitable for browsing the internet and media streaming for an average student. Those who do programming, engineering and graphics will need a more advanced device. Dot Connect will have 64GB storage, 128GB dual hard drive, SSD port, 14-inch screen, 400mah battery and a 6GB RAM.”
Once launched, Dot Connect is expected to retail for about R5 000.Mahlangu vows that Dot Connect will do things differently. “Our strategy is to be more competitive in price, design and specifications, and create a different way of doing things, ” he says revealing that the the Dot Connect will retail at about R5000.
The lapop’s launch date is yet to be confirmed, pending the necessary paperwork and approvals as the procedure is with electronic devices used for communications. Typically, a number of tests have to be done to ensure product compliance before it can be registered or accredited by sector education and training authorities and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.
Credits: Adopted for TSA Online from an article originally published by Vukuzenzele , a government information portal
