Mass production on the OLPC XO low-cost notebook computer has begun at Quanta Computer’s factory in Changshu, China, only a couple weeks after the project admitted a production delay. The start of production actually came sooner than the OLPC effort anticipated: the new schedule called for production to begin November 12. Children should start receiving machines this month; last month, the OLPC project confirmed its first official order for 100,000 notebooks from Uruguay.
The so-called "$100 laptop" has seen its price increase to $188 per unit, although the project is still hopeful that units will eventually sell for $100 or less. The machine features a number of innovations and a rugged design aimed at the educational needs of children in developing nations, including a daylight-capable screen, no moving parts, and a variety of charging mechanisms. The notebook has sparked interest in tech-ssavvy markets as well, prompting the OLPC project to launch a Give One, Get One campaign whereby users in developed markets can buy an XO notebook while at the same time donating one to a child in a developing market. Customers participating in that program may begin receiving notebooks by the end of the year.
The OLPC project originally said it needed orders for about three million machines to achieve the economy of scale necessary to reach its price point; however, so far, the group’s only confirmed order is for the 100,000 machines going to Uruguay, although many other nations have expressed interest in the machines. However, the OLPC group recently lost a potential customer in Libya, which recently announced it plans to bring 150,000 competing Classmate PCs into its educational system.
