Slashdot Mirror
Intel Laptop Competes With One Laptop Per Child
Tracy Reed writes "According to the BBC, Intel has designed and begun marketing it's own low-cost laptop targeted at education in developing countries. 'Professor Negroponte, who aims to distribute millions of laptops to kids in developing countries, said Intel had hurt his mission "enormously". Speaking to US broadcaster CBS, Intel's chairman denied the claims. "We're not trying to drive him out of business," said Craig Barrett. "We're trying to bring capability to young people." Mr Barrett has previously dismissed the $100 laptop as a "gadget".'"
Some more info on the Intel Classmate can be found here.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
No, you can't at the moment, although there are various conflicting rumours that the OLPC machine will be on sale to the general public. It was my understanding that it would be only be possible to buy two at a time, with one going to a child in the developing world, but I'm not sure wether or not that turned out to be true.
They said on 60 minutes that OLPC expects to sell to US education in the future an eventually to US individuals if you pay double (like the old rumors).
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I got to play with an XO laptop yesterday at the Maker Faire. It is not a gadget - it is a computer built for a child (small keyboard) with little prior experience with IT (simple GUI, etc). I wrote up a review (with pictures) on my blog.
augment your senses: http://sensebridge.net/
Video linky here
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classmate_PC: The Classmate PC, in contrast to the XO (which does not require anything extra) includes a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)[2] to provide any local Windows XP Embedded installation with access to hardware-based DRM.
The problem is, this isn't about competing in a free market.
Here's the 60 minutes clip: http://olpc.tv/2007/05/21/60-minutes/
Some say he is made with ascii, others that he is eyeballed daily by millions. All we know is, he is known as the Sig
Negroponte probably has some good proof that the ClassMatePC is being sold below cost since his group has been working on a lowcost design for a couple of years and included negotiations with both Microsoft and Intel. Both of which are involved in the ClassMatePC.
Just like how Microsoft started giving out Microsoft Windows for far far below market costs to Taiwan when those HP and Dell notebooks running Linux were selling very well, they both( Intel and Microsoft ) are subsidizing their product to keep the "competition" from gaining ground.
If I was seeing Linux on the ClassMatePC instead of MS Windows, I might be able to believe that Intel could be motivated by charity but with Microsoft involved and how BOTH companies blasted OLPC in the press, it's all about business and their sole purpose here is to get OLPC to fail. The ClassMatePC would be pulled from the market later since cheap hardware and software is NOT what Intel or Microsoft want. IMO.
LoB
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus