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".'"
"He accused Intel of selling its own cut-price laptop - the Classmate - below cost to drive him out of markets."
I can't believe this guy. Is he doing it for the children or for himself? Competition (especially with something like this) is very healthy and won't do anything but benefit consumers (in this case children). Go Intel, Boo whoever this guy is...
This is if anything a good thing. This means that the goal of getting low priced computing into the hands of children in the developing world is much closer...
The posts seem filled with criticism, but they generally seem to boil down to:
1. OMG how could Intel sell to that market segment, when like, Negroponte *totally* called it. Hay, Intel, didn't you hear him call it? He totally called it. Indeed, he has *dibs*.
2. OMG it has windows on it! Haxxors unite! With our powers of making angry posts on slashdot we can destroy the dreaded WINDOZE computron FTW!
Comments by Negroponte that Intel should be "ashamed of itself" for competing with him are *hilarious*. Anyone who thought that a small nonprofit would last long in this market with potentially enormous profits attached to it was an idiot... This is the reason why the "free market economy" isn't called the "free love funfest."
He also seems to be bitching about Intel selling at prices below what they can make a profit on, which is again pretty hilarious. This is the definition of irony.
As for windows, believe it or not, many people would like the option of running windows... The only time I've purchased a computer that couldn't boot windows was back when I used macs, and even then I sometimes wished I could run win32 games. Since then I've switch to an Ubuntu/XP combo, but I honestly don't think I could totally abandon XP. There are still too many things linux doesn't do that I need.
This is no different than any other PC. Linux will be ported to it, and if you want to run it, it will be there. For 97% of computer uses who have no desire to run linux (and who probably don't even know what linux is), it's pretty convenient that it comes with a copy of windows.
That said, the Intel laptop is higher end and higher priced than Negroponte's laptop. I suspect that this will differentiate them in the market somewhat, and be instructional in what third world countries are actually looking for in terms of computing.