'I will purchase the $100 laptop at $300'

Pledge “100laptop”

"I will purchase the $100 laptop at $300 but only if 100,000 other will do the same."

— Mike Liveright, digital charity supporter

Deadline to sign up by: 31^st October 2006
3,677 people signed up, 96323 more were needed

More details
Nicholas Negroponte has previewed of the $100 laptop that he has designed for students in the developing world. " One Laptop Per Child - a Preview of the Hundred Dollar Laptop http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/00... "

The suggestion has been made that he also offer it for sale for ~$300 to the rest of us so that we do have an interesting machine and can help to support the cost computers for the developing world. If he does offer it, then I will buy one at three times the cost and thus contribute to supplying two to the proposed users.

I suggest that you might want to also pledge so that he would consider this "We Purchase, They Benefit" option.

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Comments on this pledge

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this is a great idea !! it will help the poor
chaaban, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Or -alternatively-, I'd buy one for $100.
Matt, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
After being hit by hurricanes the past two seasons and without power, one of these things would have been wonderful.
Phillip Partipilo, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Sriram Sharma -- the final design does not have a crank. That proved too prone to failure.
Matthew Miler, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Just a dreamt up fancy (expensive) idea. The biggest problem with developing world is literacy. I'd rather donate money to help people learn to read and write. Hence my suggestion earlier for books and school fees.
Dawson, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
<embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf... </embed>
Bill Dignan, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Check out the video on the laptop
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf
Bill Dignan, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Wooops. I never knew about this pledge. Now I can't sign up anymore. A pity.
Nils, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
EXTEND THE PLEDGE

It was not properly promoted
Leo, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Extend the deadline. I love the idea, and yet I only heard about it when the news of it's failure broke!

Promote this idea more. We need mass media targeting for public action on a national/international scale. People care. People want to do this. Tell them!
Steven McCullagh, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Hi guys,

If you're sad that this pledge failed, why not try this variant using a new, hip and, erm, unfinished new PledgeBank feature called cascading Pledges.

Check it out!

http://www.pledgebank.com/olpchackers

best,

Tom from PledgeBank
The PledgeBank Team, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
No offense, but you did a horrible job advertising this pledge. Were there prominent links on the OLPC website? I never saw them before, and I can't find them now.

I would pledge in a heartbeat, but I (like many others) didn't find out about it until I saw the news that it failed.

EXTEND THE PLEDGE and see what happens.
Joe Ibershoff, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I'm in the day after the deadline, but I just found out about the program. I hope I'm not too late.
Greg Boyce, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I pledge to buy two at $300 each.

Can I still sign up ?
ketan desai, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I'll pledge to buy one of these also. It's a cause worth supporting.

I'd suggest - extend the pledge, and couple it with some smart viral marketing. That should do the trick.

There are enough technology lovers who could support this cause.
Thomas O'Duffy, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I'm sorry to see this pledge site didn't work out. Maybe it should be tried again with more aggressive advertising - I've been following OLPC for a few months: watched a couple videos and read the weekely updates. I've never heard of this site before today, although I do have considerable interest in buying an OLPC
Pat Marks, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Wow,

What a poor job at advertising this thing. I'm glad that once it was finally over it made it to slashdot. Sure it was on slashback, but c'mon lumped together with crap stories.

What this petition needs is about $4000 to put ads in wired, linux journal, make, and a few other magazines.

I am all for the idea.
R Linnemann, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Agreed, I hadn't heard about this before today either and would have bought one too. If the pledge is re-opened, please let me know!
Jeff Messer, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Pity this didn't get enough pledges, even with the SlashDot mention over the summer. I'm not sure extending the plede would have helped, as the pldege was still over 96% short.
Tom Louie, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Why would you put a deadline on this? I vaguely remember hearing about this a while back but paid no attention to it as I had no money. I just came into some and would love to make this pledge but essentially I found out about it today, the day after the deadline.

I'm not suggesting that 96,000 more people would sign up if you kept it open another month but I don't see the reason for any deadline ever. When you get 100,000 pledges, you start collecting money. Until then, you collect pledges. Some things build momentum slowly but after they do keep it up for a long time. Why not ospen this back up? Oct. 31, 2006 is arbitrary and unnecesary. Those kids deserve the computers regardless of how long it takes.
John Michel, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Why would you put a deadline on this? I vaguely remember hearing about this a while back but paid no attention to it as I had no money. I just came into some and would love to make this pledge but essentially I found out about it today, the day after the deadline.

I'm not suggesting that 96,000 more people would sign up if you kept it open another month but I don't see the reason for any deadline ever. When you get 100,000 pledges, you start collecting money. Until then, you collect pledges. Some things build momentum slowly but after they do keep it up for a long time. Why not ospen this back up? Oct. 31, 2006 is arbitrary and unnecesary. Those kids deserve the computers regardless of
how long it takes.
John Michel, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Poorly promoted. I was not aware of this until today, and it is now too late. Get the media involved! Not just the net, but ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Were you at COMdex? Marketing, MArketing, MArketing.
Good Luck, I believe this is a truly noble project, and I wish you great success.
John
john, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
put the pledge back up and improve the marketing! I only heard about this after the deadline...
nick, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Really, why the deadline? I wasn't aware of the promotion and I'm your target audience. I'm sure you could have done a better job of promoting this. Damn, I might have bought one myself!
Ron Bannon, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
This pledge was, as far as I'm aware, nothing officially to do with the OLPC organisation, simply something set up by someone to show support for the idea; so don't be upset at OLPC for not publicising it properly. It has a deadline because all PledgeBank pledges do, that's how the site (which just hosts pledges) works - the target was simply unrealistic in that time.
Matthew, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I think many people making comments miss out on one of the basic ideas behind this project... the idea is not to give kids training so that they can work some crappy IT job in some outsourced call centre, but rather to give people access to the same wealth of information that we in the first world enjoy (and take for granted). That is, little Billy spends time on the internet learns about HIV and what can be done to prevent its spread so he educates other people in his village, or little Susy who reads about modern agricultural systems and increase the annual yeid of her villages crop... oh and lets not forget about all those young girls who may realize for the first time in their lifes that they have rights as human beings and start the process of changing their cultures to recognize that... but to all those peopel who said this is a bad idea and that they will not support it and that this should not be done, please list your contributions to humanity in alphabetical order... and switching one of your vehicles from an SUV to a hybrid does not count.
christopher luft, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I only heard about the pledge this morning. Sign me up. I will need a few details at some point, but the project concept is sound and deserves my support.
Brett Upton, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I'd buy at least one. Even two. in fact I tried to find a way to purchase one at (I actually put this comment in another site) $300. That offer still stands. So if this comes up again, I'm game and will be HAPPY to find others. I'm sure I could get at least 10 others to commit to this. EASILY
Jonah libster, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I'm late, but if the offer still stands, I would be very glad to buy one.
Andrea Sterbini, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
If you extend the pledge, I would be happy to commit.
Felipe González, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Run it again! This time with more noise, more /., a wikipedia banner, non-profit google ads, Y!, myspace, youtube, NPR, PBS, BBC, CNN, FOX, go all out, etc!
Ryan Fulcher, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Is it just 100$? What about -
1. Shipping and insurance
2. Logistics
3. Training & support
4. Administrative & management cost?

Or will it (100$) cover everything (all of above)? Who will pay for the Laptops? Who will pay for after sales support? Who is going to gain from this project - The country spending some 150 million dollar (+ongoing support cost) for a million Laptops or the country receiving some 150 million dollar for a million Laptops?

And a kid who's starving won't be taking the time to read. Even Bill Gates Sr. figured this out when some time ago he took a trip to Africa and was shown a poor village's proudest posession, a single workstation hooked up to the village's sole electrical outlet. He realised that what village needed most at that time was not a computer, but a refrigerator.

Tech toys like these have theire place and moment can help but the basick foundation of the pyramid must be built first. You need decent health, places to sleep, and a dependable food supply before cranking laptops become not only a luxury but a dangerous drain on time and energy that must be spent on survival.

Africa and the Third World aren't just poorer versions of your hometown, they're places in deep distress with a profound lack of the basic neccessities of life, and sweeping plagues which are taking an enormous toll. These are the problems that must be solved FIRST and foremost before the higher goals can be tackled.
Aklee, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
"And a kid who's
starving won't be taking the time to read."

I disagree. At least some of the kids are getting by on the little food they have. Yes, they need food, but that's enough. When I read books in the library, I get so absorbed that I forget to eat.

"You need decent health, places
to sleep, and a dependable food supply before cranking laptops
become not only a luxury but a dangerous drain on time and
energy that must be spent on survival."

I disagree. Laptops (or computers) means access to information and education. This will lead to decent health and better economic understanding. This knowledge and motivation is what is needed to not only survive, but thrive.

"These are the problems that must be solved FIRST
and foremost before the higher goals can be tackled."

I don't think this is a "higher goal." A higher goal would be supercomputers and computing research centers. These are very cheap, very basic laptops. They offer a whole world of ideas and knowledge that they need to enrich their lives and improve all areas of the process of survival.
Permawords, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I live in Thailand and as someone who would love to support this I don't even make $300 in a month.
Andrew Fenn, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I think the $100 laptop is a great idea and i'd have definatly coughed up $300 to help the project go forward. Didn't hear about it until now unfortunatly...
James Pope, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
This pledge should have been linked from http://www.laptop.org/ so people would hear about the pledge. Why don't you extend it and get it /.'d again. I'll bet you hit your 100k goal.
Jeff Carr, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I think you should extend the pledge. I also heard about it the first time I saw a post on Slashdot about it's failure. I would be more than glad to sign up.
Mikko Kortelainen, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I didn't see this until Nov. 1st. (too late?). If it is still open, I'd be interested. Another laptop around the house would be a godsend.
Bob, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
If you are serious about wanting the MIT $100 Laptop, come and join OLPC4USA at the Wiki page linked above. We can't buy the Laptop yet, but together we can speed the day when it will be available at retail, and at wholesale in quantities less than a million at a time.
Ed Cherlin, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
well, am way to late here! -damned, but only heard of it TODAY...!!

suggest: restart the thing!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and make "more noise about it" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'd like to participate, too!!, thomas
thomas ziegler, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I only just found out about this pledge, yet the deadline has passed. If it re-opens, then I will also pledge. Please let me know.
Bruce Silver, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Yes, yes, yes, sign me up and restart the pledge. Let's make it happen.
Hermann Strijewski, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
That was a pretty arrogant comment about the operating system in these things - this world was BUILT by the processing power of 386's... in any event... count me in!

I vouch to buy one of these for $300+ if my purchase gets TWO OTHERS into the hands of a poor child for free!!!

regards,
Wayne
Wayne, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I just found it now. Yes I will buy.
Arek Stryjski, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
The children in the dev.world need to have free library first for every child ,I thing the 100$ OLPC notebook is a normal price,and 150$ OLPC notebook with 12inches Lcd screen is normal too,as they do not have hard drive,and CD ROM,
what I think for the Microsoft to do, is
to make larger LCD with Windows OS,and make the memory card 4GB slot options,
so the price cost for OLPC,12in LCD.Win.OS,SD 4GB slot card,total =
150$+25$
Total will be 175$ wholesale and retail sale 200$.the child will pay 100$ and his government the other 100$
And I think as an expirt in microelectronics technology this can be made,in the comming soon future.
In 2006 we had new cheap color e-ink
larg size screen and fast cheap flash memory up to 4GB ,when we ask about cheap cost
notebook pc we must expect pc less than
the laptop we see in the market now,the poor children see it only not use it.
I ask Mr.Bill at microsoft to start produce the second OLPC version,and to helpe the children in poor world in action not just talking,and if Mr.Bill move to do it I will give his company my new invention free to add it to OLPC to be the best in design ,for the poor children ,the larg 12in screen is very important for the child to use in education.
Zaky
Zaky, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Looks like this will come to pass, kind of... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/62...
Rod Begbie, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
We will buy 20 laptops at $300 if it's not too late...
VisionWorks Solutions Inc., 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
I second this pledge!!! I love the idea but I guess I am too late. It should have advertised properly..None of my family or friends knew about this... So how about we extend this to a newer date and advertise properly!!!!
Nithy, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Im in
Brandon, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
Great idea, shame that I have only just found the website! Offer the pledges again?
Gerry Griffith, 6 years ago. Abusive? Report it!