Functionality and use of design
The idea is to develop a no-frills laptop computer to keep the cost at a minimum and put the product within reach of the target group – the one billion of kids in primary and secondary schools worldwide. The idea is to distribute the machines through those Ministries of Education willing to adopt a policy of “one laptop per child”.

How did this design improve life?
The super cheap laptop gives developing countries an opportunity to ride the IT-wave, as the laptop will cost less than 100 US dollars from new. The price is a key factor in the development of the laptop since the aim is to bring equal technology opportunities to children in the developing world. The initial market is primary and secondary schools in developing countries, with particular emphasis on remote and rural parts of the world – especially those without connectivity.

The concept will not only be a key factor in the ongoing development of under-developed countries and their entrance in the technological age, but also offer an important educational tool. Thus, the laptop will help promote education, raise the standard of living, improve public health etc.
The reason why MIT wants to develop a $100 laptop instead of just a $100 desktop is, that mobility is an important factor. Recent work that MIT has done with schools in Maine has shown the huge value of using laptop across all of one’s studies, as well as for play. Furthermore, bringing the laptop home engages the whole family.

MIT’s mantra is “one laptop per child” stressing that the child must feel ownership of this device.

Drawbacks of life improvement
It is debatable whether the spread of computer technology and the Internet in impoverished countries is solely beneficial - after all, have these elements been exclusively beneficial in the western world?

It is debatable whether it might be more important to help developing countries achieve basic life necessities such as food, water and acceptable health conditions before bringing laptops into their lives. One can argue that laptops are a luxury but education is not – it is a necessity. And anything, from healthcare to food to birth control, can be addressed well - if not best - through education.

Research and need
Nicholas Negroponte has been a passionate advocate of using digital technology to improve the quality of life and erase economic barriers in the developing world since the early 1980's, when he took Apple II computers to Senegal with his colleague Seymour Papert. This concept was based on experiments in the US state of Maine, where children were given laptop computers to take home and do their work on. However, Nicholas Negroponte has adapted the idea to his own work in rural Cambodia where he set up two schools together with his wife and gave the children laptops. Having seen the changes that can be wrought with a bit of IT infrastructure, Negroponte wanted to do more to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor by providing inexpensive computing to schoolchildren across the developing world.

Designed by
Nicholas Negroponte, Joe Jacobson & Seymour Papert - United States