If $100 Is Too Steep, Wait for the $75 Laptop

One Laptop Per Child exec spins out new firm to make cheaper model
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 10, 2008 3:30 AM CST
If $100 Is Too Steep, Wait for the $75 Laptop
Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of the One Laptop per Child non-profit, gestures during his speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)   (Associated Press)

The former chief technology officer of the One Laptop Per Child program has formed a spin-out company that seeks to take the XO laptop a step further—and reduce the cost of the basic computer from $100 to $75. The new operation, Pixel Qi, will aim to develop a cheaper computer—as well as other low-power electronics—using much of the technology spawned by One Laptop, reports the New York Times
. 

Critics accuse founder Mary Lou Jepsen of hijacking advances at her former operations for personal profit, but others praise her for creating something new from the foundering nonprofit. Pixel Qi will continue to work with One Laptop, gaining profit only from its dealings with commercial enterprises. (More One Laptop Per Child stories.)

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