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".'"

Intel Classmate

[TripMaster Monkey]

Some more info on the Intel Classmate can be found here [classmatepc.com].

Re:Can I buy either one of these?

[Odiumjunkie]

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.

Re:Can I buy either one of these?

[MBCook]

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).

OLPC review

[EricBoyd]

I got to play with an XO laptop yesterday at the Maker Faire [makerfaire.com]. 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 [digitalcrusader.ca] (with pictures) on my blog.

This was on 60 Minutes last night also

[$RANDOMLUSER]

Video linky here [cbsnews.com]

Re:Intel Classmate

[Odiumjunkie]

Or slightly more impartial information can be found at Wikipedia [wikipedia.org].

<tinfoil>

[garbletext]

Perhaps the [MP|RI]AA have a stake in intel's competing design: it includes a TPM chip!
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classmate_PC [wikipedia.org]:

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.

Re:Isn't this a good thing?

[Oldsmobile]

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/ [olpc.tv]

Re:OLPC is starting to sound hollow

[Locutus]

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
 

Re:Classmate has low resolution screen.

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, the OLPC is only 1200x900 in monochrome mode. In color, the OLPC's screen is still addressable at 1200x900 resolution, but the mapping between pixels in memory and pixels on the display is not direct. Instead, each block of four display pixels contains one red element, two green elements, and one blue element. The hardware performs a "swizzling" operation to distribute the colors of each memory pixel among the appropriate display elements, for an effective perceived resolution that is somewhere between 1200x900 and 600x450. This is similar to the way that LCD screens can increase their perceived resolution by taking advantage of the fact that each pixel maps to three horizontally sequential red, green, and blue elements.

Since the Intel laptop most likely uses a standard LCD screen, it would be more fair, then, to say that in color mode the OLPC has 1200x900 while the Intel has 2400x400. It's interesting that both machines have roughly the same number of screen elements, but the OLPC's elements are in a better layout for resolution enhancement. (And, of course, the Intel lacks the low-power, sunlight-readable monochrome mode.)

Re:Classmate has low resolution screen.

[LearnToSpell]

Additionally, Intel shows students straining to read the screen.

You're basing that from one photo? Didn't you ever see those dumbass cable ads where the downloader is gasping in awe as they stare into a 19" LCD from eight inches away?

Re:Isn't this a good thing?

[elrous0]

If you look at the specs, the Intel computer has considerably more muscle than the OLPC laptop (twice the memory, more than twice the storage space) and uses an OS that's MUCH more widely supported (Windows). I see no reason (aside from the hippie objections of you OSS diehards) why it can't be just as effective a laptop (or even better) for students than the OLPC version. Both have good battery life (more than enough for kids to use at night then bring back to the school to recharge in the morning), both will likely have good educational software and wifi support (and the Intel version comes with a plain old ethernet port too, for wired schools, unlike the OLPC).

If Negroponte were TRULY interested in the kids more than his ego, he would be working WITH Intel, not against them. There is no reason they can't work together. If his real goal (as I suspect) is to indulge his own ego and pro-OSS philosophy on a feel-good project, then it's really not about the kids at all--it's about HIM.

Re:OLPC is starting to sound hollow

[guaigean]

Once the monopolist raises its prices again, what's to stop new competitors from cropping up?

It's called Barriers to Entry [wikipedia.org]. Combined with predatory pricing, which is what the GP referred correctly to, having a strong hold on the market can be a huge deterrent. Any incoming competitor would have to overcome the existing infrastructure, client base, performance expectations, and incompatibilities.

Moral of the story? It's not that simple for a new competitor to jump in.

Re:Intel Classmate

[IANAAC]

Or slightly more impartial information can be found at Wikipedia.

"The neutrality of this article is disputed." heading at the top of the page makes me doubt that.

Re:Can I buy either one of these?

[walt-sjc]

Exactly. OLPC is a very small group of people at the moment, with very little money (despite the corporate sponsorships.) Setting up the supply chain to inventory, sell (accounting / taxes), ship, support, etc to hundreds of thousands / millions of individuals as opposed to a few governments ordering 250K minimum is a huge undertaking. Hell, they won't even start building until they have firm orders for 3 Mil units. My guess is that they will partner with some large company (CDW, Insight, Zones, etc.) to handle the buy-two, receive one program.

Re:Jeebus

[AHumbleOpinion]

Intel doesn't make computers, they make chips.

I used to think that too until I saw Intel branded computers being rolled in for hardened industrial use in the 90s. I don't know if they still do this. However I do recall that these Intel machines rocked, during electrostatic testing they kept on running long after Dells and HPs were dead and smoking.