OLPC Shipments May Not Be as Screwed Up as Previously Thought
We have all heard about the endless problems OLPC is having with its shipments. However, an email sent to one of our own stated that the production schedule is “still on track” and that the laptop he ordered is expected to be delivered “by the middle or the end of March.” This comes despite the fact that the laptop was purchased at the last possible minute. Did anyone else who ordered an XO receive a similar email recently, or is your order still in limbo?
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Sure, I received the same email. I am not reassured.
I placed two separate orders. The first, using my regular credit card, was for two computers. I never received an acknowledgment or an order number for that one.
The second, using PayPal, was for 6 computers. I did receive an order number, but press reports problems with the OLPC PayPal mechanism.
The generic email that we both received does not refer to the specific numbers of computers I ordered.
From the news reports, I suspect there are at least 3 separate order databases: one for PayPal one, one for credit cards, and one for telephone orders or updates, and that parts of each overwrite the others so that corrected information gets lost. I offered to help them merge the three into one, but, like several of my emails to OLPC, it went into hyperspace mode, never to be heard of again.
I still like the OLPC concept; the hardware is probably OK; and I hope the Linux use community can fill in the software gaps. Hope someone can port the Gnumeric spreadsheet over to the XO soon.
But, I missed the opportunity to send pairs of my computers to Guinea or the Dominican Republic, because did not arrive when expected, and have still not come.
The OLPC inability to deal with purchase orders lost them one 200 laptop commitment that I know about. So, I wish them well, but they should have turned the ordering system over to Amazon from the start. They should stick to the development and inspiration aspects, and leave the sales, ordering and fulfillment to the professionals.