It's a goal that's closer then you might think. The MIT Media Lab is working with partners including AMD, Google, and News Corp. to have such a computer ready for shipment by the end of 2006.
The $100 laptop will not only be something to own and feel empowered by, it will also be portable and a tool for collaboration. Students will be able to access thousands of textbooks electronically and learn how to program, one of the best ways to "learn how to learn," according to my MIT colleagues Seymour Papert and Mitch Resnick. So in addition to using readily available applications, young people might also develop software suited to their own purposes. And when students attach cameras, microphones, and printers, the basic laptop will become a foundation for innovation, a tool in tune with their different interests and talents. Kids have a great advantage: They don't yet know what is supposed to be impossible. Given the right equipment, every individual has the potential for a unique contribution. But how do we get to the price point we need? One answer is volume. There are some 1.8 billion children worldwide. The $100 laptop we propose would be available only in orders of 1 million units. It's likely that at first only governments would order them, to outfit school systems. Eventually, global corporations, large research institutions, and universities could follow
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