LET’S BUILD THE FIRST FILIPINO COMPUTER!

Many people were talking about building the first Filipino computer, but the idea never took off, because there was a general feeling that we could not build a Filipino computer because we do not have a “Filipino chip”. There was a time however when Intel was making chips in the Philippines and we could have branded those as “Filipino chips”, thereby giving us the head start to build the first Filipino computer. Maybe we should learn a lesson from how iPads are built by apple. No one will deny the fact that iPads are “American” computers, but isn’t it that the iPad chips are made in China or Taiwan? What makes these iPads “American” instead of Chinese? Is it the brand? If that is so, then can we have a computer made in China or Taiwan too, and can we brand it as Filipino? Actually, many Filipino entrepreneurs have been “assembling” desktop computers made from local materials and imported chips. However, they are generally small businesses that have not gone into mass production and therefore they have not gone into mass marketing either. What does it take to make the first Filipino computer? Since we have been “assembling” computers on a small scale, all we have to do is to assemble them on a large scale, and then brand them for mass marketing. And by the way, there are already several Filipino companies that are already making computer chips, so what are we waiting for? IKE SENERES/1-17-2024