I'm delighted that the OLPC project has happened. I agree with those who say that most of what they accomplished is seen not in their own devices or projects but in the prod they gave and occasionally still give to other organizations, most famously Asus, who openly stated that the OLPC project inspired the EEE PC that massively shifted most people's perception of the possible and launched the netbook revolution. I'll even say that I think that Sugar has been unfairly maligned and may yet turn up as a valuable part of something six market segments away.
That having been said, the current agreement with Marvell to create a computer on a chip and build the new OLPC around it, well, it looks nice stated briefly on paper but I just don't believe that they'll get there. Maybe eventually. Not soon enough to matter to most of us. Especially with so many other projects moving ahead, even taking into account the new revelations that India's "$35 laptop" was largely a rebranded existing el-cheapo design. And most especially with Pixel Qi having gone independent.
This article in Forbes lays it out pretty well.
Me? I'll be dropping by Amazon and watching Liliputing, UMPCPortal, and Shanzai and the iPad jailbreak sites and choosing my next computer from what turns up there.
Sorry, Nicholas, you've cried wolf too often now. I'm done and so are most of the rest of us.
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