RSSPeru, Mexico billionaire agree to buy $188 laptops
By Nate Mook | Published December 3, 2007, 11:58 AM
In a minor success for the struggling One Laptop Per Child project, the Peruvian government has agreed to purchase 260,000 laptops while Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is buying 50,000 for distributing in his country.
MIT professor and OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte announced the deals over the weekend, adding that Slim is an "old friend" and has been involved in the effort since the beginning.
OLPC has run into a number of major problems, most notably the cost of its much-hyped $100 laptop rising to $188. Production delays meant the devices didn't start production in China until last month, and orders have fallen well short of expectations.
In response, OLPC instituted a "Give One, Get One" program which enables individuals to purchase two laptops for $400, with one being donated to a child in a developing country. Since November 12, Negroponte says the foundation has received almost $2 million in orders every day -- amounting to around 190,000 laptops.
It is the hope Negroponte that eventually the laptop can be produced for its original $100 price target. In the end, the project says about three million devices must be sold to make the project viable.
The world richest man buys a meager 50 thousands toy laptops that will likely be distributed to the well to do rich little Mexican brats who can afford to attend school.
Keeping in mind that 5% if their worthless have illegally migrated to the U.S.; what about the 80% of the Mexican population that live in squalor and their only schooling is what they pluck from the dumpsites.
Frankly, the American cheap laptop program for foreign poor kids program is an insult to the poor American kids who are too poor to own a piece of our Technology. The persons who care more about the poor foreign kids of wealthy governments are traitors to America.
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Just for info:
Mexico has 108 million people. There are 14 million alumni in public shools in Mexico. You're right, people living in dumpsites doesn`t go school. But they are not 80 million as you say. There are 200,000. (in US there are none, officially) 2 out of 5 are in age target to OLPC program.
Mexican brats wouldn't like the laptops because they're not "nicer", than windows laptops. It is supposed Slim laptops will be distributed among poor children THAT ATTEND SCHOOL (14 million) and thru a grant.
Now you can say you're well informed
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Theres still people who cant stand the fact that the worlds richest man lives in Mexico one of the poorest countries in either north or south America. You think the income gap in the US is out of control. Just go to mexico and see the end result. Actually I cant see why anyone mexican or otherwise needs 68 billion dollars? do you?
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There's still people that can stand the fact that there cannot be billionaires other than North America, and not some southern Nation in America
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As I had said... [rolleyes]
BTW, there's a southern nation in America? Would that Texas? What you should have said is "and not some southern Nation in THE OTHER AmericaS..."
Apparently you don't realize that Mexico is part of North America....
Also, I take it that you're assuming that I am an American as well. I'm not. [smiles]
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1,000,000 dollars = 10,900,000 pesos. Slim made his fortune playing "monopoly" (literally).
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According to forbes.com Carlos Slim Helu is the third richest man in the world ( worth about 49 billion US dollars)
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@sjc001
That's your response, i think he can afford more than that :P
http://www.forbes.com/li...los-Slim-Helu_WYDJ.html
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Some people just don't have a sense of humor. [smiles]
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Wouldn't this just about wipe out his "fortune"? How much is a billion pesos worth in dollars? [smiles]
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That's an interesting point worth some clarification.
Dollars or Pesos Nate?
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