back to article Amazon to sell one OLPC laptop for the price of two

Amazon will soon sell the OLPC Linux laptop using the approach taken by the hardware charity's 'buy two, get one' programme. So said OLPC EMEA chief Matt Keller, in an interview with IDG. Keller said Amazon will add the XO notebook to its product list late in November, though it seems a limited run that extends only to the …

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  1. Tom

    Is it highly taxed

    or can you get the linux version and stipulate the other one is too?

  2. Stef

    So...

    The kids work their fingers to the bone in the developing countries actually building these things, and then their reward is a free laptop donated by us kind souls in the west? Wouldn't they rather have food or an education or farming equipment or a bed to sleep in?

  3. G2
    Linux

    in Europe, is the second one tax-deductible?

    anyone knows if the second laptop will be deductible from the income tax as a donation in Europe ?

  4. Paul Murphy
    Paris Hilton

    In the UK?

    Or I suppose to be more global about this - not just in the US? the 'Buy 1 Give 1' scheme was just for USians, which seemed rather short-sighted, I am hoping that this time us 'Over There' people will get a chance.

    PH 'cos I wouldn't mind her on my lap either.

  5. Gordon Pryra

    Not the best way to do things

    I think that the "2nd laptop" should just go in the form of cash to the leaders of the western world.

    In return they can stop selling arms and funding dictators in the developing world.

    that way the developing world can actually progress and these kids can live in a world where they will need computer skills

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    I've got one, they're great

    I got mine through the US give-one, get-one.

    Had to wait a while, but now i have it, its great.

    It runs a form of linux, but i run Debian from an SD card.

    The screen is perfect for watching films on the go and due to the way it looks, i doubt any self respecting theif will see it as much more than a toy.

  7. Paulo
    Happy

    Amazon will make a lot of money selling 1 pc for the price of two ..

    Hey there, you got the title wrong :) If Amazon sold "1 pc for the price of 2" it would be making a hell of a lot of money .. or none at all if people saw what they were buying :)

    It's 2 pc's for the price of 1 :)

  8. Graham Wood
    Thumb Down

    @Paulo

    No, you're totally missing the whole point of this.

    You pay amazon for 2 PCs, and you get sent 1. The other is sent (I assume without ever going near Amazon) by OLPC to where the OLPC project feel it should go.

    So the title/content are correct.

  9. Andrew Robinson
    Flame

    Oh Paulo...

    I will save you the hassle - I have lit the fire, others will fan the flames.

  10. Allan

    A poweful argument for OLPC...

    ...lis made by this video on TED : http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.html

  11. Chris Ashworth
    Alert

    Re : paulo

    Think you missed the point there buddy :)

  12. zedee

    @Paulo - two for one

    I think you're reading too much here.

    You buy two laptops but you only get one, so it really is 1 for the price of two.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Where's the profit going?

    >Which means, crucially, that many, many more developing-world children will benefit.

    So will Amzon unless the second laptop is sold at cost or they donate the profit from the second one to charity or maybe they really are selling one for the price of two in which case the mark up will be 100%. I can't see Amazon losing out on this.

  14. Mark
    Dead Vulture

    re: So...

    Uh, these kids would be getting PAID to work their fingers to the bone building these machines. With this "money" they can BUY food.

    So all our money is going to fund these children you assume are making the machines to earn money and therby food AND to give them a free PC to educate themselves and get out of the rut where their only job is building these PC's, working their fingers to the bone.

    Twonk.

  15. Trygve Henriksen
    Unhappy

    Amazon.com ?

    I guess that means it's still only Americans who can buy it, then...

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Little acorns

    No it won't necessary solve the larger geo-political and economic problems of the developing worlds, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing either.

    To quote one EVIL big corp: "every little helps".

  17. Mathew White

    Cost? Rather get a AeeeeeeePC?

    How much is amazon going to sell these for? I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going to cost a fair bit more than one of the new slimline mini laptops - and with the economic crunch coming, i don't think people are going to see it as true value.

    I would go one further than that and say that this is more of an inventory clearing exercise than a breakthrough marking promotion.

    When was the last time that the specs were updated?

  18. DrXym

    OLPC totally lost the plot

    If the OLPC project had had any brains at all they would have spun off a commercial venture selling black, consumer specced versions of the OLPC and use the profits to plough back into the charitable arm. If they had done this back when it made sense they would have made a killing. Instead Asus, Acer and Dell are all chasing profits from this market and OLPC gets nothing. Oh well OLPC, thanks at least for evangelising the concept of a cheap laptop even if you didn't see fit to cash in while you had the chance.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Too little, too late...

    Most of us who were crying out for the 1-for-the-price-of-2 have now been lured away by the eeePC, the Wind, the One and the various cheap knockoffs.

    Our thirst for a Small Cheap Computer has been sated. The XO might be a contender at 1-for-the-price-of-1, but at twice the price its in netbook territory and isn't going to catch the buyer's eye.

    (Maybe if they'd included the wind-up dynamo they'd have got greenies interested.)

  20. Paulo
    Thumb Up

    Oops .. my bad :) ...

    Ok ok .. I finally got the point ..

  21. Sam Liddicott

    too late

    Last Christmas I wanted one, now I want the gigbyte whatsit when it comes out.

  22. Sooty

    can i use the old fashioned system

    buy one! get one!

    Would be interesting to see how many bought the more expensive version to give one one away if the choice were available

  23. Jim
    Flame

    @Mark

    So nice to see people still follow the libertarian dogma. How did this people survive without capitalism? Hint - they did.

    And tell me when, given they are working their fingers to the bone, will these kids have time to use a computer and so improve themselves?

    "Uh, these kids would be getting PAID to work their fingers to the bone building these machines. With this "money" they can BUY food."

    Wouldn't it be far simpler to just give these kids food instead of giving them money to exchange for food? Oh no, that would be slavery. My bad...

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    @Jim

    Wouldn't it be more expedient for your employers to just give you food and housing instead of money?

    In fact, how about we all go back to serfdom, and stop using that nasty paper money at all? Without money, all the world's problems would just melt away, obviously.

    Thank god, too. Having to learn multiple skills and deal with people of all social and economic classes have really been killers for those of us who want nothing more than to work in agriculture our whole lives as we "rent" a place to live from the local Viscount. Or Duke. Or whatever.

  25. Mark

    re: Cost? Rather get a AeeeeeeePC?

    Well, two OLPC machines ARE going to be more expensive than one EEEPC.

    However, the EEEPC doesn't last as long on a charge and cannot take being left on the grass, accidentally kicked, etc anywhere near as well as the EEEPC.

  26. Mark
    Alien

    @Jim aka "Naziboi"

    Well, thank you for that well reasoned rant.

    FFS, do you really think that the OLPC will be getting children to make them and making them work 20 hours a day?

    Shit, sherlock, you really HAVE drunk the Anne Coulter koolaid.

    This is probably an alien language to you, though. Neo-con brainwashing is pretty extensive.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Horns

    "For starving people in third-world countries..."

    So, does that include US Microsoft employees, then? Hmmm... two copies of XP = two sets of "Windows tax"...

    Yup, that'll be correct then...

  28. Paul Murphy
    Unhappy

    Yes it is for US only - again!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7599652.stm

  29. Speedy

    OLPC

    Sure, buy one and pay for another which will be donated to a 'soon to be' Nigerian 419'er. We REALLY WANT THAT!!!

  30. Mark
    Dead Vulture

    @Speedy

    Yup, because there's no limit to the idiots and their money that will fall to a scam in the west, is there. No limited resource at all.

    Maybe if we cut off the fingers of all third world people they wouldn't be able to type on computers and make a scam email.

    Sorted!

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