OLPC launches $700 lap toy promotion in Australia

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 26 November 2008 02:50

Opinion and Analysis

The so-called $100 third world one laptop per child (OLPC) vision of Nicholas Negroponte has now become the around $700 (including GST and shipping charges) two-for-one "lap toy" Christmas promotion in Australia.

First announced in 2005 by MIT academic cum philanthropist Professor Nicholas Negroponte, the vision was to make millions of not-for-profit specialised Linux-based laptops to be sold in lots of tens of thousands to governments of impoverished nations. These governments would then distribute freely to all of their primary school age kids.

Unfortunately Professor Negroponte and the newly formed OLPC organisation soon found out about the realities of the PC manufacturing, distribution, retail and support business. The US$100 XO laptop soon became the US$200 XO laptop and to date only about 500,000 have been shipped globally despite an incredible amount of free publicity and hype.

Meanwhile, led by the emergence of the Asus Eee PC, there has been an explosion of cheap sub-notebook Linux and Windows computers on the market, some of which retail for less than US$200. Since its release, the Eee PC has sold by the millions worldwide, and has made the market for many first-tier imitators from Acer to HP to lesser lights such as Everex.

Like its US counterpart last year, the Australian affiliate of OLPC will launch a Give 1, Get 1 promotion on November 30. The aims are to raise awareness of the OLPC initiative and get Australians to donate XO laptops to children in remote regions of Australia and impoverished Pacific Island nations, while buying one for their own child.

The XO laptop can be ordered online at www.laptop.org.au/participate. Participation in the Give 1, Get 1 program costs US$399 (AUD$614), plus GST ($61.40) and shipping charges (unknown)! Once a customer has placed their order online, one laptop will be shipped to them and a second laptop will be reserved for a child in remote Australia or the Pacific.

Obviously, any semblance of the cheap third world laptop has disappeared. As one of the threat of one of worst recessions in modern history looms, many Australians may feel spending AUD$614 plus GST and shipping charges, bumping the overall cost up to ariound $700, to buy two laptops they have never seen nor tested a bit of a stretch. The Australian OLPC organisation disagrees.

“At Christmas many parents will be looking at electronic devices and games for their children,” said Rangan Srikhanta, Executive Director, One Laptop per Child Australia.

“The OLPC XO laptop is the perfect option because it educates and entertains children and, with the Give 1, Get 1 promotion, will give people a chance to spread the Christmas spirit to children in rural and remote areas, including Aboriginal communities, and to our neighbours in the Pacific Islands.

“When Australians buy an XO laptop we will donate a second one to a disadvantaged child. Some people may even want to donate both laptops to the program.”

Mr Srikhanta may be right. However, many Australians may also feel that for less cost they could pick a cheap sub-notebook for their child straight off a retail shelf and then make a hard cash donation to one of the many worthy charities that work tirelessly to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in Australia and abroad.