OLPC ends small-scale deployments, focusing on big
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project has quietly shut the door on small-scale OLPC deployments, preferring to focus on lare-scale installations only. The move is a serious blow to many already-existing projects in countries such as South Africa which were built around the programme in order to get OLPCs into schools.
Morgan Collett reports on his Feeding the Penguins blog that the news came via a leaked email on the Grassroots mailing list.
The Change the World programme allowed users to buy 100 or 1 000 XOs for the school of their choice.
Ending the programme is “a blow to future small deployments in South Africa, as we have over 600 XOs deployed in South Africa through this program with more that were planned,” says Collett.
Read more: Feeding the Penguins.
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February 11th, 2009 @ 9:57 pm
Terrible news… If this means that small groups in Africa such as local schools with not have access to the technology, that’s terrible news indeed. Especially if it hurts some who’ve come to invest (trust) in it.
February 15th, 2009 @ 4:27 pm
While OLPC has been a major influence and foundation of the netbook market, it is such a pity that they have taken this approach. I hope they have a change of heart before somebody else fills the void in the digital divide.