The One Hundred Dollar Laptop?

The goal was to revolutionize the world with laptops built for $100. Nicholas Negroponte sought to target developing nations with his incredibly inexpensive device, dubbing the project OLPC for one laptop per child.

It seems that concept threshold slid to about $200 per machine. Seems also that many countries no longer want to ante up the money to buy these machines for the children in their country despite initial pledges to do so. So now there is a new move a foot.

According to the OLPC site:

If you’d like to donate an XO laptop today, simply click the donation button on the right, above the photo. A donation of $200 will pay for and deliver one XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, $400 will pay for and deliver two XO laptops, and so on.

Starting November 12, One Laptop Per Child will be offering a Give 1 Get 1 Program for a brief window of time. For $399, you will be purchasing two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home. If you’re interested in Give 1 Get 1, we’ll be happy to send you a reminder email. Just sign up in the box to the left and you’ll receive your reminder prior to the November 12 launch date.

If you want to read entirely negative thoughts head on over to “The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.” His not so kind rendition starts off with: “Hundred-dollar laptop: Now $400, and for sale to American yuppies.” He also chooses to use the word freetards a few times then nails Negroponte’s lack of realism about his project.

NPR also tackled the issue at OLPC.