The Sub-$100 Laptop?

Vollernurd writes "The BBC is carrying this article detailing Nick Negroponte's plans to deveop and distribute a sub-$100 notebook computer. It would be very basic and stripped down and be used in developing countries as a way of distributing school books and such. Interesting to see how they will cut costs. Yes, it does run Linux." You can read another slashdot story about this machine when it was discussed on Red Herring awhile ago.

Comments

Only selling them to governments

[quokkapox]

I heard that they are only going to sell them to governments.

So it will be a day or two's delay until you can grab one off eBay.

I don't think they need these in Africa

[AtariAmarok]

From looking at my inbox, Nigeria is populated by thousands of princes worth tens of millions of dollars each.

Re:Not just developing countries

[tomhudson]

This is awsome. I wish they'd make a for profit version similar to this in the $150-200 range.

Just ask for your cash discount.

You can always find *someone* to sell you a brand new notebook for $150-$200. And, yes, they're making a nice profit ($150-$200).

Lots of your inner cities already have such discount retail programs.

The machines come with Windows pre-installed. Most of them even come with user data pre-installed.

They'll even make same-day delivery (some will even let you order the particular make/model you want).

Ain't capitalism grand. [tt]

Re:Not just developing countries

[ArsonSmith]

Some will even sell you the one you lost last week. I've seen the program before. It's great.

Dateline 2006, after sub-$100 laptops deployed

[Anonymous Coward]

"United Nations officials report a mysterious 50,000 percent increase in Ethiopian pr0n online...