Comments on: Trash talk between One Laptop and the PC crowd rages on
Remember, there's a chance someone will hear you when criticizing others in a crowded room. CNET's Michael Kanellos attends a speech by Nicholas Negroponte at CES 2008.
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Competition is a good thing, benefiting the buyer and end user.
everyone. You have to have access to things like food, shelter,
security and education first before you can step in to compete.
Bring a level playing field to everyone and then let them build their
own for- profit culture. Open your mind.
It's like if McDonalds started badmouthing soup kitchens in order to try and get homeless people to buy their burgers.
If you can't see the inequity, moral turpitude and plain idiocy in such action, I doubt any amount of education will help.
If OLPC is a superior product than Intel's Classmate then the market will sort itself out.
I wonder if Negroponte's problem is the fact that OLPC is a non-profit while Intel is not. It seems to me that Negroponte sees himself as a White Knight defending the moral high ground...which would strike me as suspect.
See what I mean at
www.one-laptop-per-child.com
more thoughtful design went into this object than the boeing 777.
it is not just about the hardware. this software -with its many opportunities for kids to program and experiment - will lead to even further innovation.
intel is acting like a lumbering elephant in its heavy-footed approach on this. sad but predictable.
before you make any judgement on this venture get hold of an XO and give it a whirl.
Jack
One one side, I whole heartedly agree that it's up to the non-profits to take the lead in an atmosphere of caring. It's why churches, schools, hospitals and research organizations are non-profit entitites. Of course the profit sector is going to be envious of any type of revolutionary product that serves to destroy their customer base. The corporate culture has shareholders to satisfy - so what's in the best interest of the customer is not always the priority.
However, as a person working in an administrative environment in within the private school culture, my question is, "What about OUR kids?" If you REALLY want to cause people to sit up and take notice, get these things into OUR kids hands to make them more technology literate, where THEY will enjoy learning and think school is cool, and perhaps have a chance at boosting our nation's international test scores to something near #1 in the world again - at least get us into the single digits (17th in writing and 24th in math in the world - we should ALL be embarassed! Teachers unions need to take a look at the steel industry and the auto industry and learn a little something from what's happened to their rank and file membership). Let's continue to help the rest of the world with revolutionary ideas, while we firmly plant our feet and resist change. There something to be said about having strength enough to bend, but that's a Chinese philosophy (speaking of which, when you get a chance, check out where the laptop you're using was made.)
standard computing device competing against commercial
entities. This regard is entirely incorrect-it is an education
project which is designed to bring educational resources to
developing countries at a substantial reduction in resource
acquisition. We FAT americans are used to Public Libraries,
internet cafes,television everywhere, and (a sa downside) the
subsequent advertising and commercialized software and the
expense of commercial hardware. The XO is a wonderful device
meant to bring the Highest standards, lowest cost and the
fastest way to bring EDUCATION to places where the literacy
rates are low and access to information barely existent. I'm so
tired of people not understanding the primary function of OLPC.
Innovation starts with the exchange of ideas not with profit
motivation. Intel shames itself by the way it conducts business
in this regard.
- Intel is shortsighted
- by fredtheviking January 10, 2008 12:15 PM PST
- Intel has missed a great opportunity in building a good reputation and building a better name for itself. Althrough, Intel may be able to make more money by thier move, but they lost the moral battle.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- Hmmm.
- by daftkey January 10, 2008 3:37 PM PST
- I guess you've never heard of the intel Classmate then, huh?
- Like this
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(12 Comments)They should consider the sale of low-cost laptops to developing countrie an opportunity to display good corporate value. It is even worth it to them to lose money. A demonstrate of such goodwill, would give Intel many happy returns for years to come. It is the best kind of adversiting and would do more than any PR firm or adversite adsency could ever do.
Now, they best they can do is save face in light being portray as a money-gobbing greedy corporation. Being given such a bad rep, it going to hurt in ways they cannot account for and will not forsee until it's too late.