OLPC's XO Tablet gets July 16th Walmart launch date, more retailers following soon
June has come and gone with nary a sign of One Laptop Per Child's first consumer-facing device. Granted, we spent some time with the final version of the XO Tablet during an Engadget Show shoot back in mid-May, so it seems like the Vivitar-designed slate may not be too far off, after all. Yesterday, the company quietly announced that the slate will get a July 16th Walmart-exclusive launch -- a date that will find the device available through the mega-retailer's site. As for the delay, the company told us, "optimal dates are determined by multiple factors, and we're working with retailers and our partners to ensure the XO launches in a timely and appropriate summer window."
According to the post, more retailers in Europe and North and South America will follow "soon." As for specifics of additional availability, the company says, "there will be a formal, detailed announcement on the launch from OLPC and its partners within the next several days." Lilliputing dug out the above little piece of news from a much larger post aimed at refuting a report that things are "fall[ing] apart at the company," due in part to the loss of some key employees. OLPC's post titled, bluntly, "Response to Inaccurate Information Recently Posted About OLPC," suggests that such reports are "contextually inaccurate" and that recent developments at the company mean that, "necessary adjustments in the composition of the OLPC team were required."
