$100 Laptop Prototypes
The OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project at the MIT Media Lab appears to be moving right along. Last week photos of the first working prototypes were released. The laptop runs a customized version of Linux Fedora and is seen in three different colors/versions: green, orange, and grey. The new prototypes use a detachable foot pedal instead of a hand crank for regenerative power.
The OLPC project was launched by faculty members at the MIT Media Lab and is aimed at creating a $100 laptop. The low-cost laptop would be perfect for developing nations.
Over two months ago, Bill Gates mocked the OLPC project by saying:
“If you are going to go have people share the computer, get a broadband connection and have somebody there who can help support the user, geez, get a decent computer where you can actually read the text and you’re not sitting there cranking the thing while you’re trying to type.”
Update (06-01-2006): According to ZDNet, the laptop will actually be $130-140 and will start being sold to governments in April 2007. The laptop is expected to reach the $100 price point by the “end of 2008.”
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