Rwanda joins the fray, getting "hundreds of thousands" of OLPC XOs

Here's an idea: just release these OLPC XOs to every country in the world and be done with it. Sadly, that isn't likely to happen, but at least Rwanda is joining the growing list of countries ready to get their palms on the green machines. According to OLPC, Rwanda will be receiving "initial test units and technical support at no cost within a few days." After Quanta ramps up production in July, the nation expects to receive "hundreds of thousands" of the wee laptops late this summer at an "initial cost" of $150 apiece, with future units expected to cost a bit less. Rwanda's government, of course, is footing the entire bill, and hopes to actually provide a computer to "all primary school children within five years." So for any school-aged Rwandans out there itching to crank up Doom or surf the net on Opera while disregarding those grammar and arithmetic lessons, your countdown can officially begin.

[Josh @ Jan 4th 2007 4:31PM]

Great but "all primary school children in Rwanda" is a much much smaller number than "all school age Rwandans".

[Jeff @ Jan 4th 2007 4:44PM]

"Rwanda's government, of course, is footing the entire bill, and hopes to actually provide a computer to "all primary school children within five years.""

If only our own federal and state governments would set their educational goals as high as Rwanda.

[Nick Nelson @ Jan 4th 2007 5:04PM]

That's not what the OLPC XO looks like anymore. I for one miss the hand crank on the side it was a grand idea.

[RWD fan @ Jan 4th 2007 7:29PM]

Riiighht, like these things will really make it into the hands of students there...
More likely they'll be assembled into some Frankenstein Beowulf cluster and configured as a weapons control system which will then be sold to the highest bidder, one that otherwise would be prohibited from buying the tech from the USA otherwise.

[Zac A. @ Jan 4th 2007 8:08PM]

Anywhere your average joe could pick one of these up?

They look like they would be fun to play with.

[Adrian Williams @ Jan 4th 2007 8:45PM]

@zac a
I want one of these also just to toy around with

[D. Cooper @ Jan 4th 2007 8:55PM]

Most school-aged children in Rwanda could probably use $150 in food rather than an extremely limited resource laptop.
Somebody's priorities are obviously mis-placed!

[Den @ Jan 4th 2007 9:46PM]

Is this the same man?

If it is, it might just be a goverment-funded campaign to controll the development of 3rd world countries by brainwashing their growing generations, thus maintaining the controll of the world...

see http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/05/content_5566994.htm

[Schaferhund @ Jan 5th 2007 12:41PM]

Jesus. No. They are brothers living very different lives. The OLPC program is not an attempt by the NSA to control emerging market intellectual development.

If you want to know anything at all about the OLPC project (like why they removed the hand crank), go to www.laptop.org

If you want an independent (with valid concerns) view of the OLPC program, go to www.olpcnews.com.

But let the CIA plotlines go, for chrissakes. Read. There are a lot of good and bad possibilities from this program, but at its heart, it is a profoundly optimistic and positive vision for the world based on a ridiculously revolutionary technological device. But you will not learn that from sarcastic technology blogs.

[Thinker @ Jan 4th 2007 11:14PM]

Here we go again, anytime we talk about giving computers to kids in Africa, someone invariably says that they need food, teachers, or books instead. If we follow this line of thinking to spend the money ($150) on food instead of computers, then the question is where do we draw the line? Don't buy books for the kids because that money could be better spent on food? Don't send them to school because that money could be better spent on food? The kids in Africa need computers as much as the kids in the US need computers!

[African @ Jan 5th 2007 9:41AM]

II’m questioning your ability to analyze things. The issue is not about choosing “food or computer”; it is about spending wisely $150 per kids, (and let’s say 10000 units costs $1,5 Million). If you make a comparison of that amount of money and the GDP per capita of $200, do you really think that’s where the money should go?
For your information, this is not a money falling from heaven in the hand of the Rwandan gov. this is a LOAN that will be paid back by every citizen of Rwanda.
I started to use computer back home at the age of 23 (5 years ago), I never formally learned computer science but I kick ass on UNIX command line, …ohh, and I’m from Africa.

[A @ Jan 5th 2007 12:02AM]

Are the laptops edible?

[Gavin @ Jan 5th 2007 12:37AM]

Negroponte commented, when asked what use the laptops would have, that "they're often the brightest light-source in the home." Is the $ 100 laptop no more than a really expensive light bulb?

http://www.whythawk.com/analysis/is-the--100-laptop-no-more-than-a-really-expensive-light-bulb.html

[Peter Lou @ Jan 5th 2007 9:05AM]

I agree with you, Thinker. Hate it when people do that. Education is just as important as food.
I'm from Uganda.

Enough with the baseless sarcasm RWD fan.
Believe it or not, there ARE some african presidents who r actually trying to better the state of countries - The Rwandese president being one of them. Try to follow where this is coming from, its an entire ICT push by the government which has been years in the planning, not just some random acquisition of OLPC's.

[superpotential @ Jan 7th 2007 2:57PM]

I wonder if the laptops will ever be available for purchase directly. It would be extremely useful for developers.