January 4th, 2008
Intel's OLPC pullout sets up XO vs Classmate PC duel
Intel’s brief partnership with the One Laptop Per Child project has officially ended.
According to multiple reports , mostly following The Wall Street Journal, Intel and OLPC head Nicholas Negroponte split over one irreconcilable difference. Negroponte wanted Intel to kill its Classmate PC when it was part of the OLPC.
Also: My two weeks with the XO
OLPC’s XO laptop runs on an AMD chip. According to Intel, the OLPC and Intel approaches just didn’t mesh. Intel said there was more than one solution. OLPC hasn’t commented.
Frankly, it’s a little unclear what exactly happened, but Intel has its side of the story out. If it played out as Intel describes the breakup doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why would Negroponte expect Intel to drop Classmate just because it’s working with the OLPC? As Christopher Dawson notes the Classmate is a fine choice.
Is Microsoft going to drop Windows XP for Linux because it’s working with the OLPC?
The Intel pullout is likely to set a face-off between the Classmate and XO and the FUD that’s likely to emerge isn’t necessary given the mission. On the bright side, there will be lots of competition now. Also see Dawson’s ideal education ultraportable.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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