| OLPC Linux laptop could succeed in U.S. |
Apr. 30, 2007
 The director of software for the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child project believes there is a big market for the self-powered machines in the U.S., provided the user wants to perform basic computer functions.
"The XO machine is quite sweet," the OLPC's Walter Bender wrote in an email to DesktopLinux.com today. "I guess the question boils down to what you want to do with the machine.
"If the goal is browse the web, send email, VOIP, chat, video conference, play movies and music, read, write, compose, draw, program, etc., then the XO is a great machine. If you want to play 'Grand Theft Auto III,' then it leaves something to be desired. From all indications, there is lots of demand for the former," Bender wrote.
Reuters news reported last week that OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte recently said that the OLPC might market a version of its laptops in the U.S., reversing its previous position of only distributing them to the poorest nations.
"We can't ignore the United States. ... We are looking at it very seriously," Negroponte told at a press conference in Cambridge, Mass., according to the Reuters report.
Once known as the $100 laptop, the lime-green-and-white devices apparently are increasing in price. In February, the project estimated said they would sell for $150 each. Negroponte said their price tag for U.S. children would be $176 apiece, Reuters reported.
The laptop features a string pulley to charge its battery, a keyboard that switches between languages, a digital video camera, wireless connectivity, and an open-source Linux operating system tailored for remote regions.
Analyst: The U.S. market is real
Is there a real market for these machines in the U.S.? Are they "cool" enough for kids to want them?
"Well, there are two parts to that question: First, is there demand?" Stephen O'Grady, an open source IT analyst with RedMonk LLC in Denver, Colo., told DesktopLinux.com. "In my opinion, there unquestionably is. Nicholas Negroponte mentioned the 'laptop for kids' program that took place in Maine several years back, and I don't think there's any question that -- like Maine -- many areas of the U.S. would benefit from similar machine availability."
As to the second part of the question, whether this specific model would be attractive here, that's an open question, O'Grady added.
"Some aspects of the model -- such as the dual mode screen or the mesh networking capability -- would be attractive. Others, such as the color scheme and limited functional repertoire, would be more problematic. Either way, I'm hoping that this program or one like it is extended towards underprivileged kids hereabout," O'Grady said.
The laptops will enter mass production in September if the One Laptop Per Child Foundation that runs the project receives orders for at least 3 million devices, an OLPC spokesperson said.
The OLPC believes it has orders for about 2.5 million so far, the spokesperson added.
Background on OLPC
The idea behind the OLPC laptop is to provide children with the opportunity to learn about learning itself -- to explore, experiment and express themselves, an OLPC spokesperson said. The laptops will be distributed in schools.
AMD, News Corp, Google, Brightstar, Red Hat Linux, Nortel, Marvell, eBay, Quanta, Chi Mei, SES/Astra, and Citigroup are founding members of OLPC. The United Nations and Inter-American Development Bank are its non-profit partners.
The OLPC project, based at the MIT media lab in Cambridge, Mass., is well into its second year. Recently, the New York Times reported that Libya became the fifth country to express serious interest in the inexpensive student laptop -- the others being Nigeria, Brazil, and Argentina . Brazil and Thailand had expressed some early interest in the project but have since cooled on the idea for various internal reasons.
-- Chris Preimesberger
More about the OLPC Project
For lots of background on the OLPC's Linux-based low-cost laptop project -- including features, specs, and a timeline of announcements -- be sure to peruse our comprehensive OLPC special report:
Hot Topic: The "One Laptop Per Child" project
(Click here for further information)
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