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Just a month after distribution began, the OLPC organization has been hit by theft. Armed robbers in Peru stole 66 XO laptops from a school in the settlement of San Pedro. The motive for the theft is unknown but in poor areas thieves tend to steal anything they believe has resale, and the XO has tremendous value, just check out eBay to see for yourself. Sadly, MIT Media Lab co-founder doesn’t seem to get it. He had this to say when asked about the theft potential of the XO:

“There are thousands of cars in the United States stolen each day, but not one single post office truck has been stolen in the history of the United States. The reason is that there is no secondary market for post office trucks because they look like post office trucks.“

His analogy suggests there is no secondary market for the XO, due to the distinctive looks the unit has, but he is mistaken. The theft in Peru and the listings of XO laptops for sale on eBay are proof of that. See someone other than a child using an XO? Be suspicious.

Read [OLPC News]

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