Nicholas Negroponte’s dream of One Laptop Per Child is close to being realised. Production is set for October, and the Taiwan-based Quanta Computer can produce 1 million of the XO Laptops a month to meet demand - which is where the problem starts; there is very little.
The production cost of the $100 laptop has almost doubled, now costing $188 to produce, and governments worldwide have been slow to sign up to the scheme, and where there were promises of large orders, now countries are looking to get hold of small test batches.
However, undaunted with everything so close to kicking off, the team have decided to hit the marketing, putting together a sweet scheme to ensure those that give get a little back too. Previously the laptop would not have been available to consumers, but for a limited time to get things moving they are selling 2 of the XO laptops for $399 ($200 of which is tax deductible), the idea being that one is for you to keep, so you can pass it onto your children or a local school, and one will be sent to one of to a child in one of the 4 poorest countries : Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, and Rwanda.
The appeal of a $200 groundbreaking Linux laptop will hopefully drive sales amongst the gadget conscious; XO may be a basic and functional laptop for young under-privileged children, however! It’s also the ultimate Geek accessory, a funky coloured laptop, that doesn’t need any power (this is generated from a winder, how Stargate is that!), it runs on Linux, has a 7.5 inch screen and flash memory, and is super rugged, so if you spill your chocolate milk all over it, it won’t crash in the middle of Command and Conquer.
We really hope this scheme takes off, it’s just such a great gift from a very clever, dedicated and generous bunch of people. OLPC is only in it for the cause, there is no profit involved whatsoever.
More infos about the operation here.
Source : Contagious
