A more detailed article has surfaced regarding the deal between the Fresno Unified School District and HP for 7000 Mini-Note computers. Main points:
- How much does it cost to buy 7000 mini-notes? Total cost: $3.85 million ($550 per unit). According to the article, the model selected normally retails for $849 (which corresponds approximately to the 160GB 6-cell battery model with Windows Vista), so a pretty nice discount.
- Mini-Notes will be used by middle and high school students. The 1000 eeePCs they are currently using will be shifted to elementary schools, where it is hoped that the smaller keyboards on the eeePCs will be more suitable for the smaller hands of elementary school students.
- School employees, teachers, parents, and students will be offered the opportunity to purchase Mini-Notes at cost.
- With about 76500 students in the FUSD, but the 7000 Mini-Notes and the 1000 eeePCs would correspond to a ratio of one laptop per 9.65 students. This is of course not counting any other laptop programs they might have had in the past.