In the 1980s and 1990s, Microsoft’s goal was enormous market penetration.  This goal was expressed in terms anyone could get their head around: “A PC on every desk in every home in America.”  We’re not quite there yet, but we’re making good progress – according to the Census Bureau, in 2003, 61.8% of American households had at least one computer, and 54.7% of households had internet access.  In the group of 35-to-55-year-old householders, nearly three-quarters had a computer and 65% had internet.  The numbers have most likely gone up since then, and even most people who don’t have a computer in their home have access to one at school or in a library or community center.

But what about the percentage of PC ownership worldwide?  Obviously developed nations like those in Western Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific region have very high ownership rates, but in developing nations, it’s quite a different story.  Many people in Africa, Asia and South America have never seen a computer – heck, many of them are just struggling to get by, with some estimates saying that half the world’s population lives on less than a dollar a day.  Even the cheapest computers are a couple hundred dollars, and many regions have no power infrastructure to run them.  How would these people be able to get computers?

A number of people have had ideas about how to solve this conundrum.  Two notable ones are AMD and Intel, who both are trying to roll out low-cost, low-horsepower PCs for markets like India.  But they have a definite profit motive, and people would still need to shell out one or two hundred dollars.  Another possibility is put forth by a group of nonprofits that ship obsolete PCs from the US over to countries where any PC is better than no PC.

But by far the most promising and most-covered option for bridging the global digital divide is the One Laptop Per Child initiative, spearheaded by the MIT Media Lab’s Nicholas Negroponte.  The idea is to produce a laptop for $100 a piece that can be purchased en masse by governments of developing nations.  The laptop will be durable, speedy, stable, and will have a hand crank in order to be used where there’s no power infrastructure.

The first working prototype of the $100 Laptop was unveiled a couple of weeks back.  Resplendent in orange colored plastic, the laptop features a durable design with a handle on the back, a sealed keyboard, and a smallish screen.  Pictures can be viewed on Flickr.  There are some problems, though.  The design and software has not been finalized, and as such battery life and processing speed are uncertain at best.  The display is mediocre – the eventual goal is to have it readable in direct sunlight, and it’s definitely not there yet.  And it’s not really $100 after all – it’s more like $130 to $140.

However, once the thing is done it will likely be a robust PC with decent performance and an unbeatable price.  I’m looking forward to seeing the final product, as are many other techies.  It would be even better if we could all buy one as something of a toy – but with a 1-million-unit minimum order, and the stipulation that it only be sold to governmental organizations, that’s unlikely.  I think it would be a great way for the project to offset costs, though – even at $200 I’m sure many individuals would love to buy one of these, because of its durability and versatility.  Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we’ll get that option; on the other hand, it’s fortunate that kids in developing nations around the world will get to use a computer, especially one as good as this.