Do you wonder if One Laptop Per Child's "Give One Get One" XO computer distribution plan will sell out? Why North Americans will buy more than the 25,000 laptops that OLPC is offering in time for One Laptop Per Christmas Tree? Or how I could tell Richard Koman that:
OLPC + iRobot = Free Beer
"I have a feeling they'll sell out those 25,000 units in 30 seconds on November 12," Wayan Vota said. "They'll find the demand is in the millions of units -- and even more overseas."Besides the clock stopping hot technology like dual mode screens, mesh networking, long battery life, and the unique Sugar user interface, there is the simple geek technology lust in every American, child or just child at heart.
And the best example of this comes from Damon Kohler's very different Instructables activity. There he developed OLPC Telepresence, a way to:
Couple an OLPC with an iRobot Create to create a telepresence robot. Using a simple web interface, users can drive the Create, monitor its sensor readings, and explore the world across the internet through the attached OLPC's webcam and microphone.While a commenter on Instructables went the high-brow route and wonders if Damon can swarm XO computers over a mesh network, or at least build cheap hazardous waste monitors, I'm going to use Damon's "beer condition" concept and go multi-brow.
North American geeks will snap up OLPC's XO-1 computer by the Gigabyte come November 12 just for uses like Damon's baby/house/keg monitor - community, business, educational uses that no one can predict but everyone will celebrate. In fact, I expect One Experiment Per Laptop to overwhelm the likes of Make or BoingBoing quite quickly, once 25,000 XO computers are in the wild.
Experiments like the one my co-worker wants to try: a Children's Videoconferencing Machine for his daughter, a child growing up a thousand miles away from her father.
So to those who doubt, I say I'll see you on eBay and to those who know, who want, who are registered on the XOGiving.org site, do tell what your first OLPC activity will be in the comments below...
"In fact, I expect One Experiment Per Laptop to overwhelm the likes of Make or BoingBoing quite quickly, once 25,000 XO computers are in the wild."
25,000 is a very small run for a production that was geared towards millions. Why the very small run?
My suspicion is that within OLPC HQ there is a very real and well-founded uncertainty about whether these machines will sell in a large run. They're right to be scared because the Asus EEE is geared for retailing for $100-$200 less with more flash and a faster processor.
Look at the projected run size they have planned.
"ASUS expects to sell about 200,000 units in 2007, 300,000 to 500,000 by March 2008 and 3–5 million by 2009."
The small OLPC run is to avoid the embarrassment of having machines left on the shelf, because that would kill OLPC dead and they're betting that the US has at least 25,000 geeks. They're probably right but so what?
They've got about 6 months to turn this baby around - max.
The X0-IRobot telepresence hack is really cool. The thing about the XO is both the software and the hardware are open and so hacks are easy to do. That is in contrast to proprietary machines like the Classmate and the Asus EEE. They are designed to do what the manufacturer wants and nothing else.
There were only 25,000 available ?!? I have 3 children, a niece, 5 nephews, and my wife has 2 more nephews = 11 XOs to buy. Now I'm concerned that I won't be able to get *any*!
porn rofl
Yes,I really like this computer and would love to have one or two please let me know if it can be reserved or do I have to pay as soon as Nov.12 really interested!!!!!!!!!
First activity? Download a bunch of books, swivel the screen around to tablet form, and read 'em in the sunlight.
Hi, I'm from Spain and I'm interested in one, can I get it now or is only for USA?
When will be available in Europe?
This is a birthday present for me (the laptop). I am writing this while using build 613, browser. Linux PCLinuxos 2007 as base os, Virtual Box 1.5 is running the build. I have been testing the Sugar OS for weeks now. And love the way it is coming together.
I just hope Santa is going to be good to me.
I am hoping to get one of these machines for Christmas.
It's hard to believe they're only going to sell 25,000 of them.
IMO 25k units will sell out very quickly. I'm sure there are already "investment groups" looking at buying and flipping as many units as possible for as much as possible. Hopefully if they sell out quickly "the powers that be" will announce a second public batch to deflate the secondary market prices.
Between the XO's perceived collectiblity and it's usefulness as a rugged machine I suspect the open market price to be $600-$800 but could have a beginning "freak" price spike.
Thanks.
sunlight readable coding platform. :-) (speaking as one of 25000 geeks)