One laptop per child posts the following as its mission statement:
Mission Statement: To create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.
Personally I view OLPC as great starting point for e-learning as it provides the basic tool required to access the wired world. I once helped ship books to Africa as part of a community service club. It was time consuming heavy and costly. The amount of knowledge that we sent was worth less then the cost of the books. If one could access that information times 100 for only 100$ I think it would be well worth the cost. Here is OLPC cubed, granted it doesn’t work that well.
Market Focus:
OLPC is focused on bringing learning to the poorest countries through the form of a laptop and the software and hardware that it contains. The aim is the K-12 market, with the residuel efect of educating those that care for the children.
Type of Offering:
OLPC offers content and services. The laptop is both hardware and software equipped and training and costume materials can be included.
Who is the Buyer:
So far the buyers have been at the national level including countries such as Nigeria and now Rawanda. The Laptops have been bought on scale to the 100,000 range.
Global Market
The globe is the market, but specifically countries with high rates of poverty and low education.
Development of Market:
Market does not support Learning technologies. The solution will be funded at national or international level. The company tried a buy one give one laptop program.
Learning Technology Competing with other forms of Learning:
OLPC is advocating education. I don not feel as if it views it self as in competition with other forms of education.