The vaunted “100 dollar laptop” that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers dreamed up for international schoolchildren is becoming a slightly more distant concept.
Leaders of the non-profit One Laptop Per Child that was spun out of MIT acknowledged that the devices are now slated to cost 188 dollars (£93) when mass production begins this autumn. The last price announced was 176 dollars (£87) - it described 100 dollars (£49) as a long-term goal.
Spokesman George Snell blamed the increase on a variety of factors, including currency fluctuations and rising costs of such components as nickel and silicon. He said the project was committed to keeping the price from rising above 190 dollars (£94).
While less than 200 dollars (£99) for an innovative, wireless-enabled, hand-powered laptop is a relative bargain, a price nearly twice the project’s memorable nickname promised could make it harder for One Laptop Per Child to sign up international governments as customers.
Those governments are expected to give the computers to children for them to keep and tinker with, which the project’s founders believe will cause critical thinking and creativity to blossom.
One Laptop Per Child says it has commitments for at least three million of its rugged “XO” computers, though it will not disclose which countries are first in line. Among the nations that have shown interest are Brazil, Libya, Thailand and Uruguay.
The “XO” machines feature an open-source interface designed to be intuitive for children, a sunlight-readable display, very low power consumption, built-in wireless networking, and a pull cord for recharging by hand. The laptops are being made by Taiwan’s Quanta Computer, the world’s leading manufacturer of portable computers.
