OLPC Lays Down Plans for XO-2 Laptop
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One Laptop per Child (OLPC) this week spelled out plans for a second-generation XO laptop (XO-2), as well as an interim update to the systems. OLPC XO laptops are designed to provide students with low-cost access to technology. OLPC said the target price for the next-generation machines will be $75.
About 600,000 first-generation XO laptops have been deployed around the world (including the United States and Canada) to date, less than a year since it went into production in November 2007. The target price for the original machines was $100, although the actual current price is $188. Targeting a price of $75 for the new units, OLPC will be reducing the number of moving parts in the machines and using new display and processor technologies. The machines will also be smaller and will consume just 1 watt of power--one-half to one-fourth of the current XO's power consumption and somewhere between one-twentieth and one-fortieth the power consumption of standard laptops.
In addition, the machines will have enhanced dual-display capabilities with touch-sensitive screens.
Conceptualizations of the next-generation XO laptop. Source: OLPC |
"Based on feedback from governments, educators and most important, from the children themselves, we are aggressively working to lower the cost, power and size of the XO laptop so that it is more affordable and useable by the world's poorest children," said Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child, in a statement released yesterday. "The delivery of the first generation XO laptop has sparked tremendous global interest in the project and provided valuable input on how to make the XO laptop an even better learning tool moving forward."
The XO-2 is targeted for a 2010 launch.
In the interim, however, OLPC is planning an XO-1.5 release in the spring of next year. OLPC said it will have the same basic design as the XO-1 but will have fewer parts. It's expected to be less expensive than the original, although no final price has been released.
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About the author: David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at [email protected].
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