Tim Almond

“$100 Laptop to Sell to Public”

The offer to the general public comes after the project’s founder admitted that concrete orders from the governments of developing nations had not always followed verbal agreements.

then…

The laptops will go on sale for two weeks through the xogiving.org website.

They will only be available for two weeks to ensure OLPC can meet demand and so that machines are not diverted away from countries that have already placed orders.

So, which is it? Are they selling like hotcakes, or not.

I really don’t get this project. There are definitely people who will pay $200 for this machine. When they buy it, they raise volume. That means that R&D costs get covered more quickly. It means that per-unit costs go down. Which means that it becomes more accessible to kids in developing countries.

Why are the people running this not doing this? It’s not like production can’t be increased. It just seems like some sort of “but it’s designed for them, so must only be for them” notion.

Tags: Technology, Charity //