Endless computer arrives to the country in July by R$ 699

The American startup Endless, manufacturer of low-cost computers, is coming to Brazil. With the support of the digital pioneer Nicholas Negroponte-American scientist and the originator of the project "One Laptop per Child" (a laptop for every child, in English) –, the company launches in July the Endless Mini, a computer operating system that can be plugged into any TV. Helmet shaped, the device will be sold in the country by R$ 699-in the United States, it is already marketed for $ 99.
In addition, the company entered into a partnership to put your OS in Taiwanese Asus notebooks sold in Brazil – the first models arrive in stores until the end of March. "Our goal is to have 1 million devices, our partner, or by using the Endless system by the end of the year in Brazil," says Roberta Agarwal, Director-General of the Endless in the country. The goal for the region is aggressive, whereas currently there is an installed base of 500 1000 machines with Endless system in the three countries where the company operates (United States, Guatemala and Mexico).
Created in 2012 by American businessman Matt Dalio, the Endless operates in two distinct markets. In the hardware segment, the company bet in low-cost computers, which can be plugged into any TV or monitor with an RCA cable or HDMI. The most basic version of the product costs $ 79 and the most advanced, $ 229. To use it, you need to connect the machine to the keyboard and mouse, not the product.
In the software segment, the company developed the Endless OS, a Linux-based operating system. In addition to being adopted by the brand''s computers, the company licenses the platform to other brands – as is the case with Asus.
The operating system includes 100 applications that work even without internet connection. The collection includes text editors, video and images, and encyclopedias, games that use Wikipedia content – all are based on free software. "We know our target audience has difficulties in paying for internet access, so we developed a system that has a lot of content to be used even disconnected," says Director General of Endless in Brazil, Roberta Antunes. Videos of Khan Academy, the prestigious network of online education, has already been stored in memory.
The Endless Mini, which will be sold in Brazil from July, offers 24 GB of storage memory, 1 GB of RAM, 1.5 GHz processor with four cores, three USB ports and Wi-Fi connection. It can also connect to other devices via Bluetooth.
Initially, the first models of Endless Mini sold in Brazil are imported, but the company''s plan is to produce the equipment locally by the end of the year, at the factory of a company located in the State of São Paulo. The company does not reveal the partner.
Bet. In addition to the Endless operation in Brazil, Roberta runs also the global team of marketing at startup. The Executive is known in the Brazilian market, as is founding partner and former President of startup brazilian urban Hotel. She left the command of the company in September and, shortly thereafter, he joined the startup American team. "The company was consolidated and I wanted new projects", says Roberta.
The startup won international market relevance for the support of important figures. Besides Negroponte, names like the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunus, and the Executive Luiz Kaufmann, make up the Group of advisers to the company. Brazilian businessman Marcelo Sampaio, who has been commercial Director of software giant Oracle in the Country, is one of the partners of the company. Currently, the Endless has an Office in Botafogo, a subdivision of the South zone of Rio de Janeiro, with 16 people. The first computer models of Endless, in turn, were developed from testing in communities like Rocinha and Complexo do Alemão in Rio de Janeiro.
For profit, the company bet on two fronts: the sale of their computers and, in the future, sponsored content for sale within your operating system. "A food company can sponsor our application of revenue and put content with your brand on it," says Roberta.
For now, the focus of the Endless is growing in number of users. "We will only be able to pay all our costs if we have more people using Endless", says the Executive. By the end of the year, the company expects to launch its products in most countries of Latin America and also in China.
Against the grain. The Brazilian market of PCs had its worst result since 2005, with 36% drop in the number of PCs sold in comparison to 2014, according to IDC consulting. The global scenario isn''t going to well: there were 10.4% fall in sales of PCs in 2015, compared with the previous year.
The numbers, however, don''t seem to scare the Endless. "Today, there are 4 billion people with no computer in the world. That''s the audience we want to talk, "says the Director-General of the company in the country.