[Veen]

Plus, if you give them a $1000 laptop, they'll sell it, buy a cheap phone, and use the remainder to buy something that serves a more pressing need.

[emteycz]

That means somebody bought it - presumably someone who doesn't have any other computing device and wasn't awarded one.

Also, $1000 is way too much, I was thinking in terms of $150.

[reassembled]

Everything old is new again https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child

[emteycz]

Indeed. But look at the specs of that computer - any raspberry pi is way more powerful than this. That's the point - the technology today enables meaningful change, back then it was only a dream because the device was too expensive and underpowered