3.1.1 The Low-Cost Computing Device

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Although one of the goals of the one-to-one computing movement was a USD 100 laptop, this has yet to be achieved. LCCD costs vary depending on brand, configuration and the number purchased. The unit prices of various LCCDs are shown in the table below. This assumes the purchase of a single unit with a default configuration and does not reflect volume discounts. Prices range from USD199.99 to USD 299.99.

Table 3-1: Unit Price of Various LCCDs
Type of LCCD Price (USD) Remark
OLPC XO    199.99  Price for donating a new OLPC to a child in a developing country.29
Classmate PC         205.00 Price on Amazon.com for following model: CTL E09XPH 9-Inch 2goPC Laptop (900 MHz Intel Celeron Processor, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, XP Home)
ASUS Eee         299.99 Price on Google Product Search for following model: 7" Eee PC 4G 701 Notebook
 
 
Furthermore, because many LCCD projects are still pilots using donated equipment, it is difficult to get a firm figure about the price of LCCDs. At the same time, large-scale implementations have typically involved many other cost elements, also making it difficult to isolate just the LCCD cost.
 
Another perspective on the costs of the LCCDs is to look at project costs in various implementations around the world. One difficulty is that they typically include other items besides just the LCCD. However, the resulting price per LCCD is still cheaper than average per-unit prices and thus provides an insight into the impact of volume discounts.
 
Table 3.2: Cost of LCCD Programs in Various Countries
Country Date # of LCCDs Total (USD million) Price per LCCD (US$) Note
Brazil Dec-08 150,000 (Mobilis) USD 35.2 USD 235 Including delivery to schools, taxes, 12 month guarantee, maintenance and equipment configuration. 
Haiti Feb-08 13,700 (XO) USD 5.1 USD 372 Including training, electricity, content development and networking. LCCDs valued at US$146.
Russia   1,000,000 (Eee) USD 200 USD 200 Information is not available about what this amount covers.
Uruguay  Oct-07     100,000 (XO) USD 19.9 USD 199 Including servers, guarantee, delivery to Montevideo and network-ready.
 

 

29 http://laptop.org/en/participate/ways-to-give.shtml 

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