XO sales extended to end of year

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 23 Nov 2007 at 12:14

The One Laptop Per Child foundation is to offer the XO PC for sale until the end of the year, because of unexpected demand.

Initially the laptop was only intended to be available for sale to the public during a two week period, and only under the circumstance that users would buy two, with one being sent to a developing country.

The XO laptops are available for $399 for the pair, and sales have averaged $2 million per day. The notebooks are only available in the US and Canada.

"In the past 10 days, we've experienced an outpouring of support from the public that is truly gratifying and encouraging," says Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child.

"Because so many people have asked for more time to participate either individually or in order to organise local and national groups to which they belong, we have decided to extend Give One Get One through the end of this year."

Those who buy the notebooks in the US can deduct $200 of the $399 price from their tax bill as a charitable donation, and will also benefit from a year of free Wi-Fi access at 8,500 hotspots around the US.