Image via WikipediaLike most educators, particularly those advocates of elearning, 101 Computer Consultants is watching the progress of the One Laptop Per Child program closely. The concept is exciting: for as little as $100, any child anywhere can have a laptop to access the Internet.Setbacks and failures are felt viscerally. This is a dream as invigorating at the Internet itself.
The program has been plagued by almost incomprehensible setbacks.
The most perplexing has been an increase in the price to $200 - because not enough units have been sold. Although 500,00 units have been sold, sales targets in the millions have proven to be unrealistic.
The most recent explanation is that governments have been unwilling to purchase a laptop that didn't run Windows.
Walter Bender, the outgoing president of the OLPC project resigned.
Wayan Vota, whose OLPC News blog reported Bender's departure Monday, said he feared Sugar would get neglected on XOs that run Windows. "Which do you think Microsoft is going to put its marketing muscle behind?" he said.
(Nicholas) Negroponte said he was mainly concerned with putting as many laptops as possible in children's hands.
The Sugar interface, which avoids the file and folder system in favor of graphics (much like the old Apple II only larger) has been criticized for not being consistent.
Microsoft has been working for over a year to produce a version of XP that would run on the XO laptop. The hardware required will increase the price another $12-$14. Now over $200, the XO will be at best dual-boot, and priced very close to other scaled down systems.
The hope was for millions at a nominal price. Soon it will be millions, but with significant marketing and profit rolled in. This is not altruism, or philanthropy. Soon it will be just another case study in failure for MBA programs.
More on the story:
http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/383365.html
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=laptops&articleId=9079798&taxonomyId=76&intsrc=kc_top
http://news.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029680,49296652,00.htm
