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OLPC ‘$100′ laptop to be buyable in U.S. and Canada for two weeks
September 24, 2007 | 9:50 am
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By David Rothman
Why, just why, is there a catch? For a mere two weeks, people in the States and Canada will be able to buy the OLPC “$100″ laptop —actually two of them: one for themselves and one for a child in the developing world.
The e-book friendly laptop now costs governments $188, and the two-for-one deal will set you back $399. What should I do, folks? Sell my Sony Reader? The $399 is a bit too rich for my budget even though I’d like to help. I heartily recommend the deal for those who can easily afford it.
How the $399 offer came about
Yes, in case you’re curious, the two-week deal happened because the leaders at OLPC couldn’t find enough government buyers. So stubborn.
This is a hardware and educational project, both. But what a shame that the machine should be so linked to a particular pedagogical philosoophy.
Reminder of the glories of the hardware
Meanwhile, via Curt Priest, a tech guru at LINCT, here are some details from the Boston Globe: “For consumers in the United States, the interest in the laptop may not be based on its operating system, but on its easy-to-use interface; its adorable attributes, including the XO tattoo on the back that can be customized in different colors; and its altruistic mission.
“The laptop is a more basic computing tool than the power-hungry high-end laptops that people are used to seeing in stores, because it s aimed at rural villages where the only power source may be its hand rank. The XO has been drop tested from 6 feet, dunked in water, and baked in an oven in its Cambridge offices for weeks to ensure that it an withstand the kind of extreme conditions facing some of the hildren who use it.”
Care to do that with your Dell?
“…it is also stylish, with a pebbled surface that will keep it from lipping off a classroom desk and a simple, child-friendly interface based on icons.”
Buying details: You’ll be able to go to http://xogiving.org/ or call 1866 XOGIVING. The deal will happen November 12-26.
Related: Techmeme roundup and ‘Computer squatters’ at U.S. libraries: One more argument for ‘$100′ OLPC computers for the States.
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Comments:
Clever timing it with Thanksgiving in the States.
This sort of thing competes with any commercial XO deal. And holding off on the commercial deals might have been with this in mind. “Just in case we can’t launch to governments, we could do a ‘give 1 – get 1′ campaign. But we can’t do that AND a commercial deal. So let’s hold off on the commercial deal in case we want/need to try ‘give1 – get 1′ okay?”
The 2-week window?
a. A commercial deal IS forthcoming, so they must stop the give 1 – get 1 before that deal goes live?
b. “I don’t know, $400 is a lot for a toy…” (but if you don’t order now, you CAN’T get it!) Limitations spur business.
c. Estimations on demand indicate that the first wave of buyers, who would all buy in the first 2 weeks anyhow, is just enough to ‘top off’ the order with the OEM to make the minimum production run? (And if it still doesn’t do it, the window can be extended, ‘due to overwhelming demand!’)
d. The XO still is relatively unbaked, in particular the software. This 2-week window is really a glorified beta test?
e. By limiting orders to 2 weeks they boost demand during that period, which in turn will lead to exaggerated estimates as to how many they could sell otherwise? Which, in turn, whets the appetite of HP or any other commercial suitor (who would be selling the rigged-out retail version for about $400 anyhow) … boosting the demand and bidding among the computer/CE brands to get the exclusive rights?
f. By limiting orders to 2 weeks they boost demand…they also raise $$$ for XOs to add to country-orders. Who will get these ‘free’ XOs? This is potential bait to countries still wavering in deciding to order up their million base-order. (“Oh, you can only afford 900,000? We can give you 100,000 out of our give 1 – get 1 campaign.”)
g. The campaign is similar in nature to a public company offering shares of stock on the market? In other words, Company X doesn’t sell all its shares, only some, when they need to raise cash, and only to the extent they think they need. So maybe OLPC plans on doing this periodically, as limited-time-offers, whenever they want to boost demand or publicity?
h. Maybe they are really unsure about how much demand there will be, and are just testing the waters?
i. Maybe their OEM only has so much capacity to make these things? Or maybe they anticipate having only so many ‘extras’ left over after one production run?
All this is my own speculation, of course.
Pond re OLPC: I still hate that 2-week limit, but you’ve done a good job of explaining the reasoning. Thanks! – David
I seem to remember that when this idea of buy one, sponsor another was still being kicked around, the OLPC laptop still cost 100 USD, and the pricing scheme for the sponsor version was the same, i.e. a little over twice the cost.
The e-book reading capacities of the device were pretty much the same as they are now: great if you read a lot of public domain works, but don’t expect to be able to buy DRM infested works for it.
Same story for the infopad capabilities of the device; reasonable battery time and a good weight, but I have doubts about the quality of the screen and of the keyboard (the latter which is aimed at the small fingers of a child).
Times have changed; the sponsor plan is now twice as expensive, and in the meantime e-reader manufacturers have stepped in with their offerings.
In other words, 200 USD seemed like good value. For twice that amount, I’d seriously consider getting a Sony Reader (if all you want to do is read) or one of the more interactive readers from Jinke or Irex instead.
I am not against donating to good causes, but there are causes I find more worthy that get my money.
Of course, I might remember things incorrectly.