RSS Feeds
Computers
The OLPC Gets Handed Its Ass...Again
Posted by Sean Fallon at 10:56 AM on November 1, 2007
Intel and Microsoft have shipped 150,000 of their "Classmate PCs" to the Libyan government, beating the OLPC to the market there. OLPC is expected to ship 1.2 million of their laptops to Libya, but that may prove difficult given the recent news regarding production problems. [BetaNews]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
banmojo
Posted 8:20 PM 31/10/07
I got my ass handed to me once. Damn that stung my ego.
banmojo
daftrok
Posted 11:00 PM 31/10/07
So essentially it did everything OLPC was SUPPOSE to do. A lower resolution 7" 800x480 screen WITH AN LED BACKLIGHTING. A 6 cell battery. 2 GB Flash internal memory. 802.11 b/g wireless with 10/100 ethernet. AN ACTUAL OPERATING SYSTEM (Windows XP or Mandriva Linux). Granted its roughly 200 dollars, but at the same time it is backed by Intel and Microsoft, two very lucrative and very charitable companies. OLPCs are crap. Classmate PCs FTW.
daftrok
phantam
Posted 10:37 PM 31/10/07
With the OLPC and Classmate selling for around 400$ i dont get why someone would want them
Last i checked theirs a 329$ laptop on sale at walmart thats a 15" screen with a gig of ram and large hard drive with vista or xp i think so why would we want to pay more for less?
phantam
Kaiser-Machead
Posted 11:30 PM 31/10/07
@SchruteBuck: Yeah, I was wondering the same thing...
Kaiser-Machead
SchruteBuck
Posted 11:16 PM 31/10/07
Um, why are we sending anything to the Libyan government?
SchruteBuck
x23
Posted 6:58 AM 1/11/07
but in addition... pretty sure Microsoft or the OLPC folks can sell lame computers to anyone with money to buy them.
it's not like they are PS2s that could be used for missile guidance systems (while rendering Toy Story in real-time).
x23
x23
Posted 6:54 AM 1/11/07
presumably the answer will contain the phrase "for the children" or "for freedom".
x23
92BuickLeSabre
Posted 9:04 AM 1/11/07
@SchruteBuck and Kaiser-Machead: Over the last few years, Libya has moved out of the "enemy" column of the geopolitical balance sheet, with proposals to actually start listing it in the "ally" column.
92BuickLeSabre
MaxRC
Posted 12:50 PM 1/11/07
Yea, their days of stealing plutonium through "Doc" are over!
MaxRC
Vagabum
Posted 1:58 PM 1/11/07
Is it really any surprise that long experienced behemoth corporations like Intel/MS would be faster to produce a batch of PCs using old tech faster than a non-profit startup who is trying to create something revolutionary (technically impressive with interface simplicity)? And really 150,000 in world-wide computer terms is a tiny batch.
Since they are currently losing a bundle on manufacturing the Classmate can we really expect them to start producing millions of those at a loss? That strategy is not working so well for Sony right now with the PS3...
I see the Classmate strategy as a continual propaganda campaign aimed at confusing the developing markets into holding off on XO adoption. Although I am sure it is not the first time the strategy has been used in business it seems like evil genius to start a format war with hidden but unsustainable losses that you never intend to support just to steal the limelight and minimize a competitive threat. That may be tolerable in business but it comes off as ultra shady and sleazy in the humanitarian realm.
Vagabum