The BBC report that Intel have dropped their support for the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project. The current version of the cheap laptop has an AMD chip in it, but Intel versions were expected to start shipping soon.
The OLPC has had some problems, the laptops cost more than the original target of US$100, and the orders have been smaller, but I still think that this will be seen as a bad move by Intel. My feeling is that it always pays to have friends, and this move could hurt Intel when it is looking for support in these changing times.
Hi Nigel
I see where you are coming from. However, I think our ability to work out what will help is so limited that it is probably best to allow lots of different people to try different solutions, in the hope that some of them will work. The OLPC is based on looking at the example of what education and technology have done for South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.
My personal vote for what would make the biggest difference is for the world to adopt Free Trade. At the moment the import tariffs in the West prevent places like Africa being able to export, and can even result in rice and grain being dumped on their markets when it suits price protection in Europe and the US.
Posted by: Ray | January 04, 2008 at 04:51 PM
I think that this is actually a good move for all the wrong reasons. One Laptop per child is a typical example of a well meaning program that does nort tackle the real issues. What point is there in promoting laptops for children who do not have a roof over their heads or enough to eat? Solving the underlying causes of poverty first is more important. Another problem is that without a power supply any laptop is useless anyway - there was an example last year of a school in Nigeria storing three hundred laptops in a cupboard because they did not have access to electricity.
Posted by: Nigel Legg | January 04, 2008 at 04:33 PM