One Laptop Per Child Project

As Mr. Negroponte mentioned in his interview to CNN (London, England), his project is a wonderful chance for children from the developing countries all over the world to be educated with the help of G1G1 scheme. "It is a window of hope," he says. "Education is at the root of eliminating poverty."

Peter Glaskowsky from news.com illustrates his report on this matter by sharing his own experience of participation in the OLPC project. The idea is that buying one laptop you get the second one which is sent directly to children from poor countries. The whole price of the purchase is $423.95 including shipping.

In his report, Glaskowsky mentions that the scheme has both, benefits and shortcomings. Although the idea to educate children, who haven’t got any opportunity for self-education, is welcoming and each person is asked to think of himself as a member of an international educational movement rather than as a "customer". But from the "Terms and Conditions" page it turns out that neither OLPC Foundation nor One Laptop per Child, Inc. have service facilities, a help desk or maintenance personnel in the United States or Canada. This means that whenever something happens to the XO laptop its owner will have to turn to his family's, friends' or other people's help.
This is explained by the fact that XO laptop is not a commercially available product. Anyway, a fee based support awaits anyone who needs it.

The idea of launching this project occurred to Mr. Negroponte in 2005. Initially, it was supposed that the price of the second laptop each person gets wil comprise $100. Yet, a number of organizations, including Dell CEO Michael Dell, have referred to Mr. Negroponte's goal of reaching this small price, skeptically, as it still comprises $180.

Anyway, he continues being optimistic and expresses his determination of attaining the previously mentioned price as soon as the project will set to mass production.

As to the XO laptop itself, it must be said that it is perfectly adjusted to rugged environments, it is attractable for children with its nice green color and cute bunny-ear antennae. Besides, the laptop has a long battery life, a built-in camera, mesh networking and a simple user interface. As Mr. Negroponte himself comments, "Against all the naysayers ... we have developed and now manufactured the world's most advanced and greenest laptop and one designed specifically to instill a passion for learning in children".

The manufacturer of this innovation is Taiwanese company Quanta Computer Inc., the world's largest laptop manufacturer and maker of laptops for Apple, HP and Dell. The list of companies providing financial, technological and other support to OLPC includes Google, Intel, eBay, Advance Micro Devices, and News Corporation.

According to laptopgiving.org, during the first month it is planned to issue 40.000 laptops – a quantity which is supposed to be doubled in December and make up 120.000 in January 2008.

Being concerned with the future of children from developing countries Mr. Negroponte was really displeased with the unwillingness of the governments of these countries to do something instead of merely speaking. "I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a check written," he told the New York Times in September. "And yes, it has been a disappointment."

It is planned that OLPC will begin distributing XO laptops in Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia and India by the end of the year.

The OLPC group plans to sell laptops to governments in developing nations, which will distribute them to school-aged children and will support their use.

"Imagine the impact of every child owning a laptop computer that he/she can use in school and take home," OLPC said in a written release.