$100 laptop to go into production
Professor Negroponte first proposed the laptop in 2002 and now hardware suppliers have been given the green light to ramp-up production of all of the components needed to build millions of the low-cost machines.
Previously, the organisation behind the scheme said that it required orders for 3m laptops to make production viable. The first machines should be ready to put into the hands of children in developing countries in October 2007.
One Laptop Per Child - OLPC was founded by Nicholas Negroponte with a core of Media Lab veterans, but quickly expanded to include a wide range of exceptionally talented and dedicated people from academia, industry, the arts, business, and the open-source community.
The Goal: To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves.
But OLPC has not survived the critics:
Intel chairman Craig Barret famously described it as a “$100 gadget” whilst Microsoft founder Bill Gates questioned its design, particularly the lack of hard drive and its “tiny screen”.
Other critics asked whether there was a need for a laptop in countries which, they said, had more pressing needs such as sanitation, water and health care.
Professor Negroponte’s response has always been the same: “It’s an education project, not a laptop project.”
July 26th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Odd how it’s Intel and Microsoft that complain, two companies that would suffer if we all decided we liked the laptop and wanted one - or if the emerging markets over there learned to use and accept a non wintel platform.
I’d agree that there may be more pressing needs, but over the medium to long term I reckon a laptop and access to ebay could do more for fair trade than FairTrade can ever achieve.