Intel joins $100 laptop project
Chip giant Intel has reversed course and backed a nonprofit foundation in its effort to bring a cheap laptop to the world’s poorest children. Although its chairman once dismissed the nonprofit’s laptop as a “gadget,” Intel said Friday that it would take a board seat on the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) foundation, and would work with the group. On Friday, Intel spokesman William Swope said “philanthropy is the reason” for the partnership, but also said: “We’re going to go compete for the XO [chip] business, because we think we build first-class silicon.”
He also said different products could meet different educational needs. The XO, aimed for use in 2008, was supposed to cost $100 US, but the price has been boosted to $175 US. About 7,000 prototypes have been tested, and it is being demonstrated in various forums, from a remote Peruvian school to a computer manufacturing conference in Taiwan. The foundation needs three million orders to make its low-cost production plans work. “We’re definitely going to be doing stuff in South America, Africa and Asia right from the very beginning,” said Walter Bender, who oversees software and content for OLPC. Academic and industry designers developed the XO so that it was small, light, robust, attractive, safe and interesting, the OLPC wesbsite says.
Source: CBC, Intel
Comments(19)
So monopolytel finally forced their way into this project?
They cannot stand that AMD might get marketshare in undeveloped parts of the world or that this was a non-profit project.
Yeah, they are the equivalent of ms in the hardware industry.
In time they too will come to be known for what they are.
Stop giving free stuff to other countries! There are plenty of poor people in USA.
no one said anything about free…
The real crappy thing is the minimum order they will accept is 500,000 units… that’s 87.5 million dollars that these starving
countries should be spending on feeding their own people & not on
computers… Do we really need more courties like Nigeria setting
up internet/identity scams around the world?
You know if i was starving in a third world county you no what I would want? A frigging sandwich not a fucking computer so I could stay in touch with all the other starving people. These people don’t have jobs or food and some assholes figure a computer will help them out.
i agree with buttzilla. unless they make the laptop out of bologna then thats a different story
You’d want food not a sandwich though. Sandwiches aren’t food, then again if you’re starving you’d eat anything.
what good is computer without internet ?
Some of you are just clueless idiots with their 2 cents of nonsense. Read about the project. Read about the intention of the OLPC. Hell, do what I did and go to Africa, (or some other country who’s involved in OLPC) to see how the trial went for OLPC.
The point of OLPC is to provide affordable computing facilities to developing countries. (Or even to poor areas of developed countries).
It is NOT for solving their problems, (not magic wand), but to provide an avenue for everyone to access computing technology as well as to develop skills. (shrink the digital divide).
In parts of Africa, they have an initiative where they rig up a bus of computers. It drives around to schools to teach kids the basic computing skills. (Which helps their future career prospects). It gives them a chance.
With OLPC, you don’t need such bus anymore. (Which is damn expensive to run). Each kid has their own system where connectivity is provided via a mesh network. This allows them to go on the web, etc. (assuming they’re within range of another OLPC or main server (which is typically located at their school).
OLPC doesn’t result in lots more Nigerian-style scams. (They’re kids FFS! Not crackers and spammers). So stop with the BS. The goal is to teach kids, such that the future generation will be at least familiar with the basics of technology. Its up to them as how they’re gonna use that knowledge.
Once you realise all this, then maybe you’d get off your high-and-mighty position, and stop with the nonsense. Stop making it sound like OLPC is made to solve the world’s problems. Its not.
I find it funny that people criticise something, and yet, they don’t have the balls to change the world themselves. Oh that’s right, they’re too busy downloading crap from the web…My mistake.
What good is a computer when most of the people in the 3rd World do not have a good and regular electricity supply? (or do we now have infinite batteries?)
Agree about the food comments too, and I wonder who on Earth is going to get the lucrative contracts to teach these people how to use the laptop?
Yeah,i have been in Africa (tumbler) and seen some really poor people but i never ever have called other humans (clueless idiots with their 2 cents of nonsense),just because they don’t have seen what i have.Try to explain instead in a gentle way.I believe you reach out better in that way when i also guess its the wrong people who have seen Africa when i read your lines !?.
Thumbs up for that comment thumbler.
Thats like one of the best i have ever read here on RLSLOG.
Its a shame that there are so many clueless idiots around here… hope they learn at least something from your wise words.
Oh and SirDaz:
Get a clue too, you are no better than the clueless ppl above.
Just inform yourself a bit about the OLPC – just a short quote from there:
“The laptop nominally consumes less than two watts — less than one tenth of what a standard laptop consumes — so little that XO can be recharged by human power.”
To hell with them… I want one of those computers
There are plenty of ppl in the civilized countries that could get use out of a cheap computer… as in everyone.. they are soo overpriced.. then outdated the month after.
And who is going to teach these how to use these computers , they would first have to learn how to speak without clicks and whistles and whatever other noises they use to communicate.
Tumbler your soo full of shit… If they do learn how to use computers.. thats going to be the no.1 internet crime consortium in the world, cause what the hell do they have to loose if they get caught. And some of the best hackers are kids you dumb ass.
Actually Tumbler I did read about it in MIT’s magazine Technology Review. Your the only idiot on here. I’m basing it on how you start your post calling others who don’t agree with you clueless idiots. Computers are not necessary to educate. I predate computers and i got a fine education with out them. Half these people can’t read or write and we want to skip over that and jump right to the computer. Lets teach them with books and a good teacher’s then if things work out they can move on to the pc. I see a lot of kids today that no everything about computers but can’t do basic math or science.
uhmmm appropriatly named nick “buttzilla” get ur head our out your arse and learn to SPELL first, eh?
Education is more important for the long term benefits of economically challenged nations. Human Capital Development – do you ‘no’ what that is? … and perhaps can you THINK how it can contribute positively?
The United Nations has most of the other bases covered. We were addressing the initiative by INTEL to make an attempt to resolve the lack of educational levels. You MUST have HEARD “Give a man a fish …. Teach a man to fish ….”
Sorry all for the seemingly now flamed thread, but ignorant lamers should THINK before TYPING / SPEAKING and in some n00b cases SPELL CHECK …
word to tumbler, good one. shout outs to RSLOG … peace
I should think this site alone should be more than sufficient to give lie to any fantasies of computers being educational. Smart 3rd World countries, assuming there is such a creature, will be buying these by the truckload and eBaying them to Westerners for a small fortune in profit. Not that this will benefit “The People”, of course, but, hey, as long as Mugabe gets a new Rolls, it’s all good.
If not, well, I can see it now… Can’t read, can’t write, nothing to eat and the well dried up five years ago… But, Hey! We’ve got Intel inside and the latest Harry Potter moving DLing from Pirate Bay. Life’s good, mon, life’s soooo good…
This computer can not even run Windows or Office though, so how are these people going to have any real job prospects without learning to use the software that most companies run?
And what about these servers that are required for this computer, where is the pricing on those? Not $175 each, huh? This is a cute idea, but there is plenty of money being made here by all involved.
Sadly the lot of you seem to be as cynical as you are ignorant. Do more reading and surfing at non-lifestyle interest based websites and expand your horizons.
Of course there is money to be made. We live in a capitalist reality. But that does not denote that there is a lack of planning in implementation. I come from a country where when you compare the efforts of my local Govt. to those that the more developed countries have put in place … well *shrugs* enough said.
My guess is that those that are from the “developed” nations have become lulled and complacent thus lack the entrepreneurial foresight to be able to see what the real benefits are for the “population-of-tomorrow” in these poverty stricken areas.
What OS they run, whether the HAVE ACCESS to PirateBay, connectivity to server facilities, etc … all that is not relevant.
“You” (those in the developed nations – indicative by your lame comments and views) have all become “spoilt” and take for granted the educational qualities and benefits that such a tool can provide on a number of levels; for instance in the expansion of mental faculties, growing and nurturing creativity and cognitive reasoning. These children can learn to familiarize themselves with the alphabet, numbers, mathematics, so on and so forth. Plus readying them for the new digital age that you all seem to have already embraced ….
THINK … don’t hate. It is a matter of perspective. And it applies to your outlook on life and what your life is that you have made it today.
To be free is to be able to make choices…. and the more information we have the more choices we have…. One day, some child will come up with something that no one had ever thought of and will share it with the world….making us better people.