OLPC delays XO-3 tablet to improve screen durability
updated 02:25 pm EDT, Wed November 3, 2010
Device still on track for Feb. release
One Laptop Per Child chairman Nicholas Negroponte has admitted that his organization's XO-3 tablet has been delayed. The device was originally scheduled to arrive on the market late this year, however the project has been pushed back with an anticipated launch 45 days after January's CES expo.
The organization has expressed a desire to take additional time engineering the display, which is expected to offer improved durability. All of the OLPC devices have been touted for their structural prowess, which is expected to withstand the abuse from children.
"The issue has been really finding an unbreakable material, which may not be plastic, it may be glass or some flavor of glass," Negroponte said in an interview with MIT.
It is unclear wether the tablet will serve as a replacement for the original notebook in the long term, as Negroponte suggests both devices will coexist for "some time." OLPC has yet to determine if the haptic version of the tablet keyboard is sufficient to use as a general-purpose computer.
The XO-3 will initially debut with Marvell branding, followed by the OLPC edition. Pricing is expected to eventually fall to approximately $75. [via PC World]
