It must be frustrating these days to be working for One Laptop Per Child, the organisation that aims to bridge the digital divide by putting computers in the hands of millions of poor children.

After years of development work, OLPC stumbles from one delay to the next, striving to keep the price of its XO laptop down and find buyers. Meanwhile, Asustek, a Taiwanese company that jumped in late with the rival EeePC, having done no more than design a nice-looking, stripped-down laptop, already reports brisk sales.