4. One Laptop per Child
Nicholas Negroponte’s do-good project to equip the world’s poor with tough, low-tech computers hasn’t quite worked out. The machine itself is a triumph: dual screen modes for working in the sun; a tough, cute body; next-gen mesh networking; and a simple, open source OS. The trouble is that it took too long, and politics set in. By the time it entered production, most of the original buyers (heads of state) had been deposed or retired, and the price crept on up. The $100 laptop became the $200 laptop, while real, full-featured PCs got cheaper. Even Intel took a crack, entering the PC market with its savvy Classmate PC. Result? Nobody really cares anymore.
—Nobody cares anymore?! Are you kidding me?! We’ll just have to let Jacob revive this .org.