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".'"

Just rename the project to TLPC

[Anonymous Coward]

Two Laptops Per Child

Is either organization right?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do we really want to be educating these kids at all, much less giving them laptops?

By allowing kids in developing countries to get educations, we excite dissatisfaction in their minds. In the end, this disatisfaction will result in them leading unhappy lives filled with anger.

No, it is best for them never to know education. They will be happier, and I will continue to have cheap labor to fuel my extravagant, carefree life of study and leisure.

Re:oh, the apostrophe!

[Odiumjunkie]

It's part of Intel's new intarwebs 2.0 marketing campaign. They're saying they own at low-cost laptops.

Re:Jeebus

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess it's sort of like taking a school history curriculum, desgined by educators to teach kids and comparing that to learning about history by watching the History channel.

OLPC is like learning history from a hand-powered television with no broadcaster or content.

Re:Can I buy either one of these?

[DragonWriter]

Can I buy either one of these? I'd like to get my hands on them to see what they are all about.

OLPC is officially selling only to national governments, though if you had a plan of what to do with them that was generally consistent with the OLPC mission and were willing to purchase in the 250,000 unit lots that they are selling in, they'd probably be willing to talk about making an exception.

Re:Isn't this a good thing?

[Mike1024]

Competition is one thing in a regular market, but the accusation is that Intel is using their marketplace power and financial reserves to undercut a not-for-profit to force them out of the market as part of their corporate rivalry with AMD, who supplied the CPUs for the OLPC machines.

On the other hand, if Intel provided a product that achieved OLPC's educational aims, but heavily subsidised it, one could argue that the OLPC project fulfilled its aims - Just instead of distributing their own product they tricked Intel into designing, distributing, supporting and paying for it.

Re:Jeebus

[eln]

learning about history by watching the History channel.

Hey now, the History channel has taught me more about ghosts, biblical history, major disasters, and true crime than my stuffy old history professor ever did.

Re:Can I buy either one of these?

[eclectro]

Can I buy either one of these?

You will have to take your place in line, as the One Laptop Per Nerd program hasn't quite started yet.

Re:Can I buy either one of these?

[that this is not und]

They can start by taking my 486 laptop with the cracked LCD.

No, actually, they can't. It might be useful sometime soon as a small server.