Microsoft on Thursday struck a deal to make its Windows operating system available on OLPC’s low-cost XO laptops, intended to bring technology to the world’s poor.
The move suggests the software giant is either revealing its gentle side or has concocted a brilliant plan to plant its operating system in the young minds of the world’s poor.
Microsoft said it hopes it is “transforming education” with its Unlimited Potential initiative that promises to bring economic opportunity to those without access to technology.
It’s no secret that Apple has pushed aggressively into the education market over the years. Microsoft could now be stealing a page from Apple’s playbook on a global scale.
Under the deal, OLPC’s XO laptops will be running Windows in June. One Laptop per Child was created by Nicholas Negroponte and members of the MIT Media Lab to design, build, and distribute laptops for $100.
It remains to be seen whether the low-cost XO laptops, built on lower-end hardware, with lower RAM, can run Microsoft’s Windows as well as they run Linux. One things for certain: The Linux faithful will be quick to make performance comparisons.