The New York Times is reporting that the so-called $100 (OLPC) laptop isn't selling in the millions of units as its developers originally intended. The goal was to reach the multi-million mark in hopes of driving down costs. So far, sales sound like they're below the million mark and there's no word whether sales the stated sales figures are for purchases that are to be all at once or spread out.
In the meantime, the OLPC group will offer US and Canadian citizens a chance to purchase a OLPC laptop for $400 which would cover the costs on one unit plus an extra to be donated. It's not a bad idea--especially during the holiday season--but at $400 we're probably not talking about very many units. Negroponte who runs the programming is aiming for 100,000 units that can be donated. Sounds optimistic to me, but who knows.
If he wants unit numbers to drive down cost, I think he'd be better off offering a $200 units as well as a $400 unit that includes the 1:1 gift idea. I realize that the US/Canadian market is not what he's aiming for, but it would help get the numbers up.
My guess is that the $100 laptop has to demonstrate its educational value--which means the value of its hardware and software and networking capabilities.
Also, news like this is going to give the ASUS Eee PC some breathing room and may just canabalize the OLPC market in the US since the products will be priced about the same. It may depend on the reactions of 7-11 year olds on which computer they like better.


Incremental Blogger