You've got your publicity department that's all gung-ho to work with OLPC for marketing purposes while you've got your sales force that has a product sitting around gung-ho about selling it. Which department do you slap on the wrist?
Answer: The one that does bad, sneaky things. The one that does things counter to the agreement. That would be INTEL. Everlasting shame on INTEL. Wealthy beeps.
I think the original post was refering to two different arms within intel, rather than a comparison of Intel and the OLPC project. Personally I have no sympathy for the OLPC project; they have admirable goals but absolutely no realistic idea how to achieve them. The OLPC project knows they can only succeed if they have a complete monopoly on their market, because they have absolutely no business plan to address competition short of publically trying to shame them. Monopolies are not good for the market. Competition drives down prices and competition promotes continued innovation. If the OLPC project succeeded in driving away competition what they would have done was ensure that worthy competitors that might actually be able to deliver a $100 laptop one day, something that the XO failed to do, no longer tried, and that is WORSE for the target customers.
The XO is an innovative piece of kit with some ingenious design. Its a shame that is where the innovation stops in the OLPC project, otherwise it might actually achieve its goals. What ultimately matters is the fullfillment of the goals that OLPC has, and if a competitor regardless of motive is able to achieve that then bravo. Results are what matters and the OLPC project really isn't showing they have what it takes to deliver. If the OLPC project can pull in business handlers that can take it too success I think that will be excellent, but right now all they are doing is hurting the cause they wished to address.
@Dan, OLPC is a non-profit organization. Intel did, in fact, screw up, they ruined their image quiet nicely in the eyes of the public. They acted like sneaky traitors more than a respectful big corporation... Instead of pretending to be a partner and stab OLPC in the back, whey did not they just compete in the first place.
You say "non-profit" as if Bender and Negropronte AREN'T laughing their way to the bank right now!
An Economics Lesson:
Bottom Line = Revenue - Costs
And what's included in the costs? Among other things, the top management's multi-million dollar salaries, of course!
Non-profits still have to end up in the black to stay afloat, but just because they make little, if any, profit doesn't mean that its workers are doing it for free.
this isn't really about competition, or winning over the market--it's about creating a market where none presently exists. intel can only be afraid of a future world in which nobody wants their products.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
NXTwoThou @ Jan 9th 2008 8:25AM
You've got your publicity department that's all gung-ho to work with OLPC for marketing purposes while you've got your sales force that has a product sitting around gung-ho about selling it. Which department do you slap on the wrist?
Dan @ Jan 9th 2008 9:41AM
Answer: The one that does bad, sneaky things. The one that does things counter to the agreement. That would be INTEL. Everlasting shame on INTEL. Wealthy beeps.
josh @ Jan 9th 2008 11:15AM
@Dan
I think the original post was refering to two different arms within intel, rather than a comparison of Intel and the OLPC project. Personally I have no sympathy for the OLPC project; they have admirable goals but absolutely no realistic idea how to achieve them. The OLPC project knows they can only succeed if they have a complete monopoly on their market, because they have absolutely no business plan to address competition short of publically trying to shame them. Monopolies are not good for the market. Competition drives down prices and competition promotes continued innovation. If the OLPC project succeeded in driving away competition what they would have done was ensure that worthy competitors that might actually be able to deliver a $100 laptop one day, something that the XO failed to do, no longer tried, and that is WORSE for the target customers.
The XO is an innovative piece of kit with some ingenious design. Its a shame that is where the innovation stops in the OLPC project, otherwise it might actually achieve its goals. What ultimately matters is the fullfillment of the goals that OLPC has, and if a competitor regardless of motive is able to achieve that then bravo. Results are what matters and the OLPC project really isn't showing they have what it takes to deliver. If the OLPC project can pull in business handlers that can take it too success I think that will be excellent, but right now all they are doing is hurting the cause they wished to address.
mike @ Jan 9th 2008 2:23PM
@Dan,
OLPC is a non-profit organization. Intel did, in fact, screw up, they ruined their image quiet nicely in the eyes of the public. They acted like sneaky traitors more than a respectful big corporation... Instead of pretending to be a partner and stab OLPC in the back, whey did not they just compete in the first place.
John @ Jan 9th 2008 8:34PM
You say "non-profit" as if Bender and Negropronte AREN'T laughing their way to the bank right now!
An Economics Lesson:
Bottom Line = Revenue - Costs
And what's included in the costs? Among other things, the top management's multi-million dollar salaries, of course!
Non-profits still have to end up in the black to stay afloat, but just because they make little, if any, profit doesn't mean that its workers are doing it for free.
m @ Jan 10th 2008 2:07AM
this isn't really about competition, or winning over the market--it's about creating a market where none presently exists. intel can only be afraid of a future world in which nobody wants their products.