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Nicholas Negroponte has come out attacking Intel for its recently announced "ClassMate" PC, which Negroponte claims is trying to undercut the OLPC project. Speaking to 60 Minutes last night [Negroponte said][1] Intel "should be ashamed of itself." He went on to call Intel's recent aggressive marketing campaign "shameless."
Negroponte is upset in part because Intel is moving into the same markets that the OLPC project has targeted and has apparently released some FUD marketing literature with titles like "the shortcomings of the One Laptop per Child approach."
The literature then touts Intel's more expensive ClassMate PC as a better alternative. Intel's CEO has also repeatedly referred to the OLPC machine as a $100 "gadget."
While few would deny the potential benefits for third world children were the OLPC project to spark some sort of price war on stripped down laptops, Intel's aggressiveness in what remains a largely charitable market is a bit off-putting.
Still the recent war of words might sound like a case of sour grapes on Negroponte's part, after all if the goal is to bring laptops to the developing world than who cares who makes them?
However, one key element in the debate is that the OLPC uses a processor from Intel's chief rival AMD.
"Intel and AMD fight viciously," Negroponte said on 60 Minutes, "we're just sort of caught in the middle."
While that may be true, Negroponte probably isn't helping his cause much by complaining about competition.
From the potential buyer's point of view the choice will always be easy -- the machine with the most capabilities for the least amount of money.
[1]: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/20/60minutes/main2830058.shtml "Negroponte on 60 Minutes"
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