OLPC America to launch in 2008

The OLPC project was originally designed to empower school children in developing nations with a laptop each to enhance their learning experience and shorten the digital divide between advanced and developing countries. But the group came under criticism shortly after forming because of their focus on the needs of educational systems in developing nations when there were plenty of under-served children and students in the US as well.

In light of this, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte has revealed that the OLPC initiative plans to spin out a separate organization during 2008, dubbed OLPC America, to bring their low-cost laptop computers to students in need in the United States. Details are scarce right now, but Negroponte says OLPC America has already been given a director and a chairman and is moving along at a quick pace.

Interestingly, expanding to the US may also give OLPC a much needed boost by generating enough demand for the machines to lower costs all around.