With the OLPC project in troubled times, Negroponte recently announced a new version of the XO laptop, the XO2, which will be shipped in 2010. The concept is cool: two touch-screens put together like the pages of a book, but is the new design feasible or helpful to the children? I am not so sure.

The first reason for my skepticism about the new XO2 is the planned price point, $75. The original XO was supposed to come in at $100. Instead, it ended up costing nearly twice that price and the price has not since been dropped down to my knowledge. Now, Negroponte is proposing to add two touch-screens and Windows, all while dropping the price below the original target, which has not yet been reached even without the touch-screens, in just two years. If you ask me, especially considering the current state of the project and the history of the project, the new price is a goal that will not be met.

The second reason for my skepticism, and perhaps the more important one, is the idea to include two touch-screens. Why? It is being touted for its abilities as an e-book reader. Really? You need two screens to make an e-book reader? The Kindle and Sony Reader each have just one screen.

Plus the touch-screen plan has some significant drawbacks. The students will now have to learn to type on a touch-screen, which cannot make the already difficult process of learning to type any easier. Then if the students get a job involving computers, which is almost every job now, they are going to have to get used to typing on a different type of keyboard. And don’t tell me that in 15 years everyone will use touch-screen keyboards, because no one can predict the future of technology 15 years out.

So is this new version of the XO going to be a failiure? Not nessesarily. There is still a fair amount of time for things to change. Also, just because the price point may not be reached and the design may not be ideal does not mean no one will buy it. Then again, I would not bet on this new design succeeding. If someone can explain why I am wrong, go ahead. I hope someone can.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm and is filed under Hardware, Linux in Developing Countries, Misc. Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.