The $75 Future Computer

From Forbes -

The One Laptop Per Child foundation is now working on XO-3, the 3rd iteration of its hundred-dollar laptop. Targeted for release in 2012, its early designs reveal a minimalist slate of touch-powered electronics that drops practically every feature of a traditional computer except its 8.5-by-11-inch screen.

The designer, Yves Behar of FuseProject says he hopes to shrink the frame around the XO-3's display down to practically nothing, opting for a virtual keyboard instead of a physical one, and no buttons. The result, in his mock-ups, is a screen surrounded by only a thin green rubber gasket.

The new form factor is just the beginning of OLPC's ambitions. It aims to make its tablet PC highly durable, all plastic, waterproof, half the thickness of an iPhone and use less than a watt of power, despite an 8-gigaherz processor. The price: an unprecedented $75.

Unfortunately OLPC has a poor track of meeting its goal. The original XO sold at $172 instead of the intended price of $100. In addition, an announced touch screen upgrade was never delivered. However with the XO-3, OLPC plans to to open the architecture and allow any other PC maker to take over the project. Still, the current design uses components that need to be replaced. For one, the fragile LCD is not suitable for young kids - the intended market of OLPC.

Source article here.