It's been a while since we heard anything on the ambitious, yet noble "$100 laptop" project from MIT and Google. The last we heard, the project was still targeting US$ 100 as cost for each laptop. But last Thursday, the founder of the One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC) has revealed to the media that the machine currently stands at US$ 175.

Nicolas Negroponte describes the current situation of the OLPC as being in its "most critical stage". But why should he be worried when seven nations have already committed to the project? Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand, Nigeria, and Libya have all expressed interest in the US$ 175 laptop (which was supposedly just US$ 100).

But verbal commitments obviously aren't enough to fuel the project into actual production. As of yet, none of the seven countries have paid upfront for the project, and so the manufacturing and distribution of the laptops cannot get going. It is reported that the organization will have to get orders for three million machines before their production could get well under way.

But despite of that, Negroponte remains optimistic, and in fact is expecting to begin mass production by October. The said laptops, or the "XO" computers will be developed by Quanta Computer Inc., and has been confirmed to be able to run the Windows program apart from its homegrown, open-source interface.

Interestingly enough, Microsoft's boss, Bill Gates, used to be an open critic of the OLPC project, saying that the laptops in the project is not a "decent computer". And now their softwares will be used for it. Well that sounds all good, then. There's nothing like cooperation among those in power for the benefit of the children.