For two weeks in November, One Laptop Per Child will sell its vaunted XO laptops to North American consumers. Under the organization's "Give One, Get One" program, consumers can buy two XOs at a time -- one to keep and one to be donated to a child in the developing world -- but only from November 12 to November 26. The organization is promising delivery by Christmas.
While the opportunity might be exciting for U.S. and Canadian consumers, it is potentially "a great missed opportunity" for OLPC, Wayan Vota, editor of OLPCNews.com, said in a phone interview. OLPC is making 25,000 laptops available for the program. "I have a feeling they'll sell out those 25,000 units in 30 seconds on November 12," Vota said. "They'll find the demand is in the millions of units -- and even more overseas."
Vota said OLPC will find "huge demand" among consumers in Europe, Asia, and Latin America "who want an XO and want to support OLPC's mission."
OLPC Failed Sales Strategy?
The move comes as OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte's main distribution strategy -- selling huge blocks of computers to developing nations -- has failed to produce orders. The only confirmed orders are to Mexican businessman Carlos Slim and Libya's Gaddafi Foundation -- and even the Gaddafi order is surrounded by uncertainty.
Negroponte has gone from selling countries blocks of one million to selling blocks of 250,000, and now to making a limited time offer to U.S. and Canadian consumers. Vota predicted that the North American sales will create "a strong pool of software developers  and a strong pool of committed educators and parents," which would enable OLPC to "roll out a comprehensive implementation in the developing world."
Vota added that Negroponte now has the opportunity to excite developers and educators to come up with classroom lessons and experiences to really have a dramatic impact on education. According to Vota, child-focused nonprofits in the developed world would jump at the chance to buy the XO laptops for their constituents -- "in blocks of 100 to 1,000, though, not 250,000."
XO a 'Revolution in Computing'
Why is Vota so bullish on the new computers? Aren't they "kid computers" designed for the constrained environments of the developing world? Actually, Vota said, XO is nothing less than a "revolution in computing ." While the laptops are designed for the developing world, "its technology should be available everywhere," he said.
XOs offer mesh networking in which computers connect to one another to share an Internet connection, battery life measured in days not hours, and the "amazing" Sugar interface, he said. "Sugar is not Linux , it's not Vista, it's a whole revisualization of the computer interface," he added. "Any American consumer would love to have this computer."
And what better Americans than the poor kids of New Orleans and the rest of America's inner cities? "The XO is a wonderful way for them to start computing and start learning," Vota said. "Why can't we have OLPC computers for our needy kids here in America?" he asked.
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