OLPC project goes into production

First machines being made

23rd July 2007 11:27 GMT

The One Laptop per Child project has started production, with the first children in the developing world expected to receive their computers in October this year.

The ultimate aim is to get the device down to $100, though the initial run will cost $176, according to the BBC, which is providing a breakdown of costs. This places responsibility for the higher price on the screen and Wi-Fi.

The project, to provide the world's poor with IT in the hope that they can educate themselves out of poverty, has been derided, endorsed, ridiculed, and hailed in roughly equal measure: not least in the comments pages of El Reg.

The true impact of giving children in the developing world access to modern computing hardware should become clear over the next few years. ®