Intel Chairman dismisses $100 laptop

[Steve]

MIT's $100 laptop project has been slammed by Intel's Craig Barrett as nothing more than a gadget, that won't really be of any use to those it is intended for.

"It turns out what people are looking for is something is something that has the full functionality of a PC," he said. "Reprogrammable to run all the applications of a grown up PC ... not dependent on servers in the sky to deliver content and capability to them, not dependent for hand cranks for power."

Barrett said Intel was committed to delivering IT access to the developing world -- and is helping Sri Lanka Telecom set up south Asia's first long-range WIMAX wireless network -- but would not produce a cut-price product like MIT's computer.

[Wired News]

Harsh words from the Intel top man. How much would their implementations cost?

[autopilot]

I have to agree in part, that its more of a gadget, although i think the wind-up part is a great idea.

[ta5gdu]

It's no surprise that Intel's top brass convey this message as they have never been in the market of "low cost computing" as is demonstrated by their lines in chipsets, cpus etc. Companies such as VIA, AMD, Uli, etc have traditionally undercut their respective Intel counterparts. They are simply pooh-pooh'ing the idea with the full functionality smokescreen because they see an insufficiently large profit margin.

[TheAnimus]

Intel would love people to think that using a VIA or AMD product dosen't get the job done.

They sell on their reliability, which to be fair, you have fewer chipset issues on intel. (recent histoically)

[directhex]

They sell on their reliability, which to be fair, you have fewer chipset issues on intel. (recent histoically)

i've had severe stability issues running dual-core opterons on intel boards...

[Thorburn]

Its a nice idea but if you look at it for what it is its a system that would struggle to run Windows 98 particularly well, people won't want to spend $100 which is still quite a lot of money in many underprivilaged areas.

Better to give people access to reasonable systems than to put something not really worth while in there home....

Whats more Intel Computer Clubhouse's (http://www.intel.com/education/icc/index.htm) provide children in countries such as South Africa, Israel, India, Costa Rica, Panama, etc with access to good quality computers as well as training teachers in how to effectively use them (http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archi...tm?iid=search&)

Not to mention all the charity donations made by the likes of Gordan Moore...

[Thorburn]

"We work in the area of low cost, affordable PCs, but full-function PCs," he said. "Not handheld devices and not gadgets."

um ?… ...er ?...

http://www.intel.com/personal/resour...must_haves.htm

Taken a little out of context, considering that the list contains a fully featured PC, printer, mobile phone and a webcam.

[Thorburn]

Ok so they used the word gadget, but I fail to see what else they share in common with a under specced laptop. Whats more from http://www.intel.com/personal/wireless/technogifts.htm tell me what of those is actually made by Intel, bar some of the technologies within the the media player and perhaps some flash memory or an x-scale in the PDA/phone.

The point of the statement is that Intel doesn't see the point in making a 'cheap' laptop that offers a patronising level of functionality at a price that while to an American may seem really affordable to someone living on 50p a day is still a tad on the pricy side.

I haven't done a great deal of research into the topic but I doubt People in the third world particularly need a wind up word processor in there homes....

[kjlp]

It might be a gadget to the likes of you and I, but I think what most people are failing to grasp is that it's of no concern how *we* perceive it - Of course it's a gadget to us, but if we had seen exactly this kind of machine 10 or 15 years ago, we would have been amazed, even more so if we had no experience of computers or technology in general.

As I understand it, the whole idea of this is to get the third world started on the technology ladder, and to help break down any social barriers to technology in general. The way to do this is to start off small and build up from there. I can't imagine that anybody here started their career in computing by getting a Cray, and so similarly we have to provide a platform to enable people to learn about technology. Sure, it would be nice to be able to give them machines with SLI, Atlhon 64 and a nice 20" LCD screen, but have some cop-on, people! If you keep raising the bar, then that only provides more grist to the mill for those who would prefer that the third world stays in its current position.

I know people who still have problems understanding the concept of "cut" and "paste" in Wordpad.

I think Craig Barrett is not only being self-serving in his comments, but it looks to me like he's trying to do a great disservice to the third-world population in general. It's either typical Intel thinking, or he has another agenda, one even less palatable than profit-maximising...