And So It Begins - Production on OLPC

With 3 million ordered now, the production of XO laptops from One Laptop Per Child begins in Shanghai.  Although the AMD chip is the processor, with Intel onboard there are talks of a version with their chips, according to this article and also this one.  This is the real deal now, what some didn't think would happen at all.  

It bodes well for schools in the U.S.  - but will that mean a complete rethinking of our networks and applications? Or will the U.S. version not use peer network sharing and just take advantage of the screen that's visible in the daylight and other design and functionality developments.  It's a different laptop that we're all using, that's for sure, with a different O/S and approach - much more exploration and user-centered.  Change is coming.

Little Announcement/Big Significance

I get a Google feed on "laptop schools" to my email every day and this article Intel relents on laptops for kids just appeared - maybe it's in other papers already but this is big news and will have really large significance.  It says that Intel is joining the OLPC board.  

Those of us waiting for the serious impact on all laptops everywhere (and schools eventually being able to afford 1-to-1 everywhere) because of One Laptop Per Child  - are going to get what we want soon.  Maybe even in 2 or 3 years.