Archive notice: This article was originally published on December 6, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The IT development aid programme “One Laptop per Child” (OLPC) has been able to land another major order. The government of Peru ordered 260,000 devices. This puts the number of the currently sold OLPC model XO at 600,000 units. “I believe that this number will rise further by the end of the year and that several more orders from various countries will be added in the coming weeks and months. The Peruvian order will certainly have an exemplary effect here,” Christoph Derndorfer, spokesman for OLPC Austria, told pressetext with conviction.
The idea of providing every child with a laptop was first presented around three years ago. The notebook, then described as the 100-dollar laptop, now effectively costs 188 dollars. Production started in November and the first devices have since been delivered to Uruguay. To boost sales, the “Give 1 Get 1” campaign was also launched. When purchasing two devices, US customers receive one OLPC and donate the second to children. 190,000 devices have already been purchased through this programme, which is restricted to North America and runs until the end of 2007.
In the meantime, however, other companies have also recognised the potential of this target group and offer similar products. Intel, for example, is also trying to provide children in countries in need of development with IT equipment through the Classmate PC. Electronics manufacturer Asus, in turn, offers the EeePC, a compact mini-notebook priced at 300 euros, which is, however, sold worldwide. Asus is nevertheless also trying to land major orders from developing countries.
Derndorfer does not, however, see competition for the XO: “The fact that, thanks to OLPC’s efforts, there are now other companies offering very inexpensive laptops, especially for developing countries, is an incredibly great thing. Just two years ago, Intel dismissed the XO as a ‘gadget’, and now the company is making the greatest efforts to offer a comparable product.” Moreover, the example of Nigeria shows that competition between Intel and OLPC on the ground appears to be much lower than media reports suggest. “OLPC is concentrating more on primary schools there, while Intel with its Classmate PC is focusing more on secondary school,” Derndorfer says.
Asus, by contrast, does also offer the EeePC for educational purposes and in developing countries, but this is a little half-hearted. “The target group of the EeePC is more normal computer users who want a very small, light and inexpensive notebook. For this target group, the EeePC is also quite a good device,” Derndorfer praises. By comparison, however, OLPC had done the best job of constructing a device for the defined target group of children in developing countries. The XO stands out from the Intel and Asus devices through its display, which is very easy to read in sunlight, and its low power consumption. “At the moment, intensive work is still being done on it, but the goal is a battery life of at least eight hours. The other two systems can only dream of that,” Derndorfer says. Furthermore, the OLPC Austria spokesman emphasises its robustness. “The XO survives both falls from tables and rain showers, heat and dust, and thus the three greatest enemies of normal computer systems in developing countries.”
Further links:
- One Laptop per Child (OLPC)
