OLPC Launches Buy One, Give One Free Program

Tha_Big_Guy23 writes "For the first time, and for a limited period only, people in North America will be able to get their hands on the XO, MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte's rugged little laptop that's designed specifically for children. And for each cutting-edge XO purchased in the West, another will be given to a child in a developing country. For $399, customers can order a laptop for themselves; bundled into the price is the cost of delivering a second XO to a child a poor country."

Other options?

[ScorpFromHell]

With so many other options for low cost linux based laptops coming up, how many would lap up the XOs? Yeah some geeks & some philanthropists ... the tech loving & God fearing maybe ... but will it sell like the Dells?

North America has poor folks too!

[bogaboga]

Though I do not underestimate the level of need in the so called "poor" world, I wonder why the OLPC folks think everyone in America can afford this PC. We have poverty in America too, and people are living from hand to mouth.

I will agree that what America has is what I could call "material prosperity". There appears to be infrastructure everywhere but people are hurting in the pockets. These days, the American dollar has also taken a hit, so everyday stuff is expensive.

Re:Other options?

[j-pimp]

With so many other options for low cost linux based laptops coming up, how many would lap up the XOs? Yeah some geeks & some philanthropists ... the tech loving & God fearing maybe ... but will it sell like the Dells?

I think their going for the philanthropist geeks. If they sell a thousand at this price they can move towards lowering the price.

Do they say how much of the money is shipping to the third world country? I would think if they picked one Costal City for the initial recipients, it would be cheap to ship the laptops via ship and have a local volunteer or two distribute them to the children.

Re:North America has poor folks too!

[8tim8]

Though I do not underestimate the level of need in the so called "poor" world, I wonder why the OLPC folks think everyone in America can afford this PC.

Um, is there a statement from the OLPC people where they say that everyone in NA can afford one? It seems to me that they only said that individuals in NA can buy one, if they want. There is no comment about the "material prosperity" of everyone on this continent.

Now that I think about it, the title of your comment is "North America has poor folks too!" yet you only reference [the United States of] America. There are a couple of other countries on this continent, too, don't forget.

Re:North America has poor folks too!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, America does have poor people, but many of them will balk at the idea of having to crank their laptop to get it running.

Is this really a good idea?

[CSMatt]

I'm sure that this has probably shown up in other OLPC arguments, but is this project really what the Third World needs? I would imagine that it is far more important to get essentials such as medicine, clean water, food, and adequate shelter before we start worrying about something like this.

Won't make as much impact.

[Nursie]

US society already has high technology. Giving a poor kid an OLPC in North America may help him or her. Giving a poor kid an OLPC in someplace where they don't have computers available at the library down the street (which the kid never goes to because his parents and peers think libraries are for geeks and morons) will help that kid interface with the modern world and help bring up the whole country.

Now, I'm not saying poor folks in developed countries brought it upon themselves, or are willfully poor, but I do think that there is greater room for improvement across populations as a whole in other places.

Re:Other options?

[DrWho520]

Why God fearing? Where does that come from? I would hope that people today would give without "fearing" God. I mean, people do not need religion to teach them what is right, correct? That is what I hear, anyway. Comments like this, however, make me very much question that statement.
By the way, people who give out of love for their fellow man are God loving. Those who are God fearing send money to the Christian Coalition and try to legislate everyone else's behavior.

Re:$399 is pricey

[tomstdenis]

Because you're supporting a cause?

Using your logic, why would I donate $100 to the Red Cross when I could just as easily get a mickey of vodka and have a good time for less!!!

Tom

Re:USA? Black Friday...

[mwvdlee]

You seem to be under the faulty impression that the OLPC laptop is meant to teach children how to use computers. It actually tries to teach them far more basic (and important) skills than that; reading, writing, math, etc. Things that will give these children a way to earn money and escape poverty in the future. That they'll also be able to learn about computers and the internet is just a bonus but irrelevant to whether the OLPC will be succesfull.

Re:USA? Black Friday...

[Cheerio Boy]

As evil as they are, MS is the de facto standard. If you don't know windows you're missing a key skill to join the technology work force. Giving a bunch of kids a one-off linux based laptop leaves out critical skills.

And the way to change the landscape is to get people used to using something different in a place where there isn't a de facto standard.

Or $diety forbid teach them to think and learn so that they can make the choice themselves as to what OS to use when their country becomes less technology challenged.

Or is education of the end-user not the ultimate goal here?

Compare it to other apples.

[emj]

Actually it can be considered to be better than a eee PC which costs about the same (well $100 less). I would love to have a Solid state laptop (no fan!) and a high res monochrome screen (reading!), and low power (green!).

Bad luck I'm in Scandinavia, may be you can buy one and send it to me?

Wasn't the US$ = 2$CAD?

[Anonymous Coward]

If they'd called it "the 120Euro laptop" it would probably STILL be the 120Euro laptop.

But the US is pissing it's money up the wall, so now it's the $200 laptop.

Re:Is this really a good idea?

[Azuma Hazuki]

Off-topic it may be but I just had to say this: you are one of the people who gives me faith in humanity.

"And ye shall know them by their works..."

Re:$399 is pricey

[brunes69]

If you want to help a kid somewhere then why don't you donate your $400 to Unicef so it can buy food and medicine for 1000 kids? Or donate it to Amnesty INternational so they can stop kids from being raped and tortured in Cambodia?

Seriously - buying laptops for kids should not be P1 in terms of global humanitarian aid folks.

Re:Other options?

[Etyenne]

Re not being able to run "normal" Linux software, I think it is really a matter of considering the use case and scope of what the XO is trying to achieve. The CPU should be plenty fast enough for a custom web browser, text editing software and IM. "Normal" Linux software, such as Firefox and OpenOffice, do not really scale down to such a tiny screen anyway, so you have to think outside the box a bit when choosing application for these platform. I think power consumption and cost are more important factors that raw CPU power in the use case that the XO is targeting.

BTW, I have seen Compiz running on the ClassMate. Cool, but ... what the heck ?

The ClassMate is almost ruggedized enough with the vinyl wallet, but I would trust an XO better in the hand (and school backpack) of my daughter. I would never let her handle a Eee, it is way too flimsy for kids (although the best overall package for adults).

Re:North America has poor folks too!

[Zephyr14z]

I can tell you from experience that being poor is shitty enough as to be motivation to better your circumstances all by itself. Withdrawing what tiny amount of help is given by people or governments is just going to make the poor bitter, angry, and violent. Very few people are poor because they want to be.