The £50 laptop to change the world

Imagine if a group of the world’s cleverest and richest people pooled resources to create a piece of technology intended as a force for good rather than profit. It may seem fanciful but that is exactly what has happened and the result — which could become one of the most widely distributed bits of technology ever made — was unveiled last week.The long awaited $100 (£50) mini-computer from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, is aimed at improving the quality of education in developing nations. The fact that it exists at all is testament to what can be achieved when global corporations put their heads together.