jpeters
Group: Members
Posts: 804
Joined: April 2006 |
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Posted: Nov. 24 2007,17:44 |
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Looks like OLPC idea is history:
1. $100 price is now $188 plus shipping 2. Poor countries want better (and latest) machines with Windows OS
"The Intel machine is a lot better than the OLPC," says Mohamed Bani, who chairs Libya's technical advisory committee but doesn't have the final say on buying laptops. "I don't want my country to be a junkyard for these machines."
3. Intel and Microsoft are competing, offering better machines with $3 software packages.
"The higher price also has made the laptop vulnerable to competition from sellers of more traditional, Windows-based machines. For many education ministries, "it's a no-brainer you go with Microsoft," says Mr. Davies."
4. OLPC offers little or no maintenance support
"Mr. Negroponte said some initial tech support would be provided by Brightstar Corp., a Miami-based wireless equipment distributor. Just who would provide support a few years from now, he said, was "a frightening question." The students, he said, will need "to do as much maintenance as possible." "
Article referenced in todays WSJ "A Little Laptop With Big Ambitions"
Looks like inexpensive computers with faster. more efficient Linux OS will remain in the hands of more wealthy, technically sophisticated folks.
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