MIT is pushing to develop the world's first $100 laptop... What else? It's powered by a crank handle so you can use it even where there's no power. The goal is to empower the third world through a new program called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)
From the MIT Website:
Please note that the $100 laptopsâ€"not yet in productionâ€"will not be available for sale. The laptops will only be distributed to schools directly through large government initiatives.
The MIT Media Lab has launched a new research initiative to develop a $100 laptopâ€"a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's children. To achieve this goal, a new, non-profit association, One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has been created. The initiative was first announced by Nicholas Negroponte, Lab chairman and co-founder, at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland in January 2005.
From CNet:
Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, detailed specifications for a $100 windup-powered laptop targeted at children in developing nations.
Negroponte, who laid out his original proposal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, said MIT and his nonprofit group, called One Laptop Per Child, is in discussions with five countries--Brazil, China, Thailand, Egypt and South Africa--to distribute up to 15 million test systems to children.
$100 Laptop: An MIT Quest to Empower the 3rd Worlds
$100 Laptop: An MIT Quest To Empower The 3rd Worlds
Trend Themes
1. Affordable Education Technology - The $100 laptop initiative can disrupt the education technology industry with affordable laptops for students in developing countries.
2. Sustainable Power Solutions - The windup-powered $100 laptop can disrupt the power solutions industry by providing a sustainable and portable energy source for users in areas with no access to electricity.
3. Global Digital Inclusion - The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative can disrupt the technology industry by expanding access to digital tools and knowledge to marginalized communities around the world.
Industry Implications
1. Education Technology - The $100 laptop initiative provides opportunities for edtech companies to explore affordable and accessible software and hardware solutions.
2. Renewable Energy - The windup-powered $100 laptop initiative presents new opportunities for renewable energy companies to develop sustainable and affordable power solutions for underserved populations.
3. Digital Divide Initiative - The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative opens up new opportunities for technology companies to participate in digital inclusion efforts and address the global digital divide.