Philadelphia’s Drexel University has introduced a 24 hour vending machine that dispenses MacBooks instead of sugar water and snacks. But instead of selling the laptops to staff and students, the kiosk lends them out free of charge—with proper ID—for five-hour periods.
These days a laptop is a must-have accessory for anyone pursuing higher education, so the kiosk isn’t designed to be a cheap solution for those who can’t afford one. Instead, it lets students who are studying at the university’s library late into the night leave their own hardware at home, so they’re not a target for thieves on the streets of west Philadelphia. The machine holds twelve fifteen-inch laptops in total, and while free, a $5 late fee does apply for every extra hour of use. [DrexelNOW via VentureBeat]
