In my mind, the jury is still out with regard to the $100 laptop. In the first place, it has been said that these units will actually cost about $130-$140. This by itself is not the end of the world I suppose, however it is just one more issue that stands in the way of this project seeing much success.

The other issue that has me concerned would have to be the cumulative cost. As stated clearly in the FAQ for the laptop Website, this is a “for sale item”. This means that the producers of this notebook are under the impression that 3rd world countries have resources to buy these for their schools.

Um, OK. Let’s take a trip back to reality. Here in the States, we can’t even manage to prevent school closures, much less provide low cost laptops for the students of most schools. And being the realistic sort that I am, I don’t see this changing anytime soon. But it does bring me to one serious question: What in the world are these MIT guys thinking? I support their well wishes, but would it not make sense to start with the ample number schools here in the States which need better computers for their students?

Perhaps they need to take a cruise through some of the urban schools in the larger US cities? I believe that they would find more than one school that could use such innovative technology.

What do you think? Should we be looking at implementing this sort of technology in our own perspective countries first? Or instead, is selling notebook PCs to 3rd world countries really the best bet for the success of the word’s children? I’ve had my say, what do you think?

Tags: laptop, schools, urban, countries, 3rd world, children