OLPC and Intel Part Ways

[malware]

More bad news for the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project, fortunately this time nobody asks for $20 million in lawsuit. After only six months Intel has announced it is leaving the One Laptop Per Child project. According to Intel, Negroponte asked the chipmaker to stop selling its Classmate PC while it was part of the OLPC, which is currently shipping its XO laptop based on a chip from AMD. Even more surprising, Intel is saying that the OLPC actually asked the chipmaker to stop working with any company that produces low-cost laptops, such as Asus' Eee PC. "It is basically a philosophical impasse and, as a consequence, we've decided to go our separate ways," said Intel Asia-Pacific spokesman Nick Jacobs. "Despite many months of work to align Intel and OLPC, fundamental differences remain in our respective approaches to the challenge of bringing technology into education. Intel remains a strong supporter of OLPC's philanthropic goals, but we were unable to agree to some of their requests ... most notably that we cease support for non-OLPC platforms including the Classmate PC."

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Completely Bonkers]

WOW. Smackdown to OLPC. "What-the-hell" are they doing with all their ego-political-lobbying and trying to block OEMs from working with other partners? That stinks of serious collusion/anti-competitive behaviour. Why? Must be some very deep vested interests there. I dont like that. Individuals or companies making serious money (or blocking entry to more efficient or cheaper alternatives) that, in the end, get paid for by us, the tax payer.

It's time OLPC went down. There was always an unpleasant smell around their intentions/methods that we often "forgave" due to the concept of providing cheap resources for education.

There are more (and non-vested interested) alternatives available later down the 2008 road. I recommend that we support more transparent and ethically responsible organisations than OLPC.

I'm with Intel on this one.

It also puts a different spin on this whole Nigerian keyboard issue. I'm sure there's a lot more to the story than what we read in the pro-OLPC version of the story. Can't wait to read the spin OLPC will put on the Intel story.

 

[newbielives]

Wow I really wanted to believe there were good people running the show at OLPC.
What a F%ing world

Go Nigerians!

 

[mdm-adph]

WOW. Smackdown to OLPC. "What-the-hell" are they doing with all their ego-political-lobbying and trying to block OEMs from working with other partners? That stinks of serious collusion/anti-competitive behaviour.

Please, let me get this straight -- you're accusing the OLPC foundation of anti-competitive behaviour... against Intel? Yeah, that stink...? I can understand that it's not familiar -- something tells me that it's the bittersweet smell of integrity.

Who knows what went on behind the scenes in this? I can almost guarantee you that Intel told the OLPC guys to stop working with AMD -- call me crazy, but that sounds just like something Intel would do.

 

[yogurt_21]

lol see the trouble with organizations like olpc is they don't know their bounds. intel was donating it's time to thye project. and yet that didn't seem enough for them, they also wanted them to give up other platforms in which they make profit.

you don't say "hey thanks for the free bread, but really i wanted sourdough." you're happy for what you get when its donated. lol

 

[Darkrealms]

LoL, well they've been in the press a lot lately. Too bad for them none of it seems to be good.

 

[Sasqui]

you don't say "hey thanks for the free bread, but really i wanted sourdough." you're happy for what you get when its donated. lol

Yea, don't look a gift horse... yadda yada yada.

I think Intel has some sort of special interests in this one that they don't want to admit. Hopefully someone comes up to bat.

The whole thing is quite amazing that they got this far.

 

[Co_Op]

A nice article about it here:
http://overclockers.com/tips01274/

It may not be PC to say this, but in the long-run, Intel is right and OLPC is wrong, and the world, including the poor kids, will end up be better off with Intel winning

We'll explain.

The OLPC XO is an idea whose time has come . . . and gone. It is a victim of its own success.

What do I mean by that?

OLPC succeeded before even building a single unit by drawing attention to the fact that what the less-than-rich world needs is a simple, cheap, portable computer.

They've served as a tripwire to get the biggest CPU company in the world to shift attention and make providing that a priority with its Silverthorne project.

 

[imperialreign]

A nice article about it here:
http://overclockers.com/tips01274/

decent article - it kinda puts the whole thing into perspective a little better