Uruguay reportedly set to buy 100,000 OLPC XO laptops

It looks like students in Uruguay could soon have plenty more to get wildly excited about, as it seems that the country's LATU organization is now set to buy 100,000 OLPC XO laptops, with an option to buy 50,000 more to the tune of $199 apiece. That's a bit less than the $200+ price we had heard Uruguay would be paying, but still well over the mythical $100 price the foundation has long been promising. According to Uruguay's El Pais newspaper, the decision (which has apparently yet to be finalized) follows an evaluation process in which the OLPC competed against Intel's Classmate PC. That ultimately ended with the OLPC narrowly beating out Intel's offering by a score of 56.84 to 53.06, with the OLPC's cheaper price apparently the determining factor.

[Via OLPC News]

[mike @ Oct 4th 2007 12:36PM]

no, UR a gay

[Gonzalo @ Oct 4th 2007 12:47PM]

Hey, a litlle more respect to my country!
Besides, that joke is way too old (it even appeared on a Simpsons episode)

[mike @ Oct 4th 2007 12:52PM]

these are the jokes!

no, seriously, Uruguay is a beautiful country.

[Deputy Doffoos @ Oct 4th 2007 12:55PM]

please a more respect for the people from Uranus

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 4th 2007 12:59PM]

Orbo cares not for your puny Earth puns!

[wayan @ Oct 4th 2007 1:01PM]

Its really important to note that this is the first time OLPC XO and Classmate PC went head to head in open, government sponsored testing, the Ceibal RFP: http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/uruguay/olpc_uruguay_ceibal_proposal.html

And OLPC XO won!

Also, I truly hope OLPC won on its technology and educational benefits, not price.

[John M @ Oct 4th 2007 1:28PM]

Im happy that these students will get the benefits of computers. It saddens me that the company is charging double what was originally anticipated. However, its still an inexspensive price compared to a comparable computer at regular retail value. I just hope these computers can hold up to normal wear and tear and are upgradeable. In the future I hope to see more programs like this stretch across all avenues of education, not just computers.

[CapnVan @ Oct 4th 2007 4:53PM]

Undoubtedly the price has increased.

However, let's keep in mind that since they announced that price, the U.S. dollar has dropped significantly in value. Or, to be more blunt, it's tanked.

Meaning that the price per unit in US$ is bound to increase correspondingly.

[dabrace1984 @ Oct 4th 2007 1:29PM]

I find it ironic that this is announced the same day that David Pogue submits his review of the OLPC XO.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/technology/circuits/04pogue.html?8dpc=&_r=3&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

[murty @ Oct 4th 2007 1:33PM]

-

[aeo @ Oct 4th 2007 1:34PM]

1.) Announce a new product and set it's price impossibly low to gain hype.

2.) Double it's price upon release

3.) Profit!

[L. Cyphre @ Oct 5th 2007 3:07AM]

...and even at double price it's apparently still cheaper than the alternative.

[Alpha3 @ Oct 4th 2007 1:49PM]

And brazil is buyn 150 of them.... XO project is growing strong!
http://wnews.uol.com.br/site/noticias/materia.php?id_secao=4&id_conteudo=9070

[Magallanes @ Oct 4th 2007 2:05PM]

You could buy this inexpensive toy-notebook for less that $200 or you could buy a real notebook for a bargain in "Ciudad del Este". ;-)

[kingofwale @ Oct 4th 2007 2:18PM]

I thought those computers were meant for "THIRD" world countries... and when has Uruguay become a third world country?

Please save this for people who are REALLY in need.

[Juan @ Oct 4th 2007 2:31PM]

Sadly, Uruguay is a third world country (and I am Uruguayan)... the kids will hopefully benefit from this initiative. I also have to agree with Gonzalo over there, that joke is waay too overused.

[joe_raby @ Oct 4th 2007 2:51PM]

Hey! Is that Mahmoud A-bad-a-jihad at the front of the room??? Look closer....

[KentN @ Oct 4th 2007 3:55PM]

The OLPC PC, if bought in the US, would be over $400 because you also buy a second one for a 3rd world child (or a corrupt 3rd world official - I'd like to see the controls on this one). A new Acer or whatever laptop with far more power and a useful (if Microsoft) OS is $500.

Sad to have all this hype for years over us getting useful cheap laptops we could use - and this being the result. Oh well. When it actually is $100 and costs $200 to send it to a kid somewhere, deal me in.

[The ZeroCorpse @ Oct 4th 2007 4:24PM]

And in other news; Uruguay Loves Pornography.

[Ryan @ Oct 4th 2007 5:56PM]

Why do people seem to get bent out of shape about the price tag not being what was initially promised? Just because they're launching with a higher price tag doesn't mean that they can't later make their goal. Countries like Uruguay will help with that.

[German Taroco @ Oct 4th 2007 8:42PM]

Check www.mercadolibre.com.uy (Uruguayan version of EBAY), in few month, and you will find the OLPC on sale.
I'm from Uruguay, and I know that people WILL sell their children's laptop.

[Russ @ Oct 4th 2007 8:56PM]

maybe ebay will try prevent people from selling OLPCs?

[Russ @ Oct 4th 2007 8:58PM]

okay.. yes, sorry. i didn't read your comment right.

maybe *mercadolibre* will do something to stop people from selling OPLCs.

[John @ Oct 5th 2007 3:41AM]

Urugauy has the highest level of litracy in the southern hemisphere knocking out Coutries like Australia and New Zealand, it also has free education. For those who want to knock it just keep watching your trashy uneducated shows like the Simpsons and don't forget to say hi to Britney for me as your trailer must be next door. I'm sure the Children in Uruguay will benefit from these laptops and for those Uruguayans who left the country and now knock it say hi to your dictator father for me cause thats why you won't return.

[EstT @ Oct 5th 2007 7:49AM]

Isnt Uruguay a 3rd world country? Hey!, how does anybody told me!

PS: Im Uruguayan
PS2: Why does someone ALLWAYS comes up with the U R gay joke every freaking time somebody writes 'Uruguay' ? Come up with a new one guys, please!!!!!!!!

[nacho @ Oct 5th 2007 11:16PM]

Uruguay, from the perspective of the UN and other development agencies is a "developing country". That phrase can be exchanged for "third world country" because the latter means that you are not a "first world country": it's a rather binary definition, either you are one or the other. That does NOT mean it's a nice and good place to live for a lot of people, but it is undeniably in an economic sense compared to the rest of the world. And even though wealth distribution is the fairest of South America, it's still worse that the US (that has the worst wealth distribution of the entire developed world).
PS: I'm Uruguayan too, apparently Engadget has a lot of Uruguayan readers! :)

[Charlie @ Nov 12th 2007 8:56PM]

As a few of the readers pointed out, Uruguay is not a "traditional" third-world country; it is actually a developing nation. For instance, the country has a fully developed infrastructure to support water, electricity, and so forth. Additionally, it has one of the highest levels of literary and college-education in the world because education is free. Further, the distribution of wealth is much more fair than other places in South America, apropos, there is a larger middle-class. Additionally, the country is populated almost entirely by whites and can be more adequately compared to a developing Eastern European country.