See here. Since orders aren't rolling in from the Third World, Saint Nicholas now is targeting a new audience -- freetards who will overpay for a piece of not-quite-working-right equipment in order to keep Double-N from having to admit defeat. The deal is you'll have to buy one for yourself and one for the kids who don't want them, under a new buy-two-and-get-one model that takes the concept of freetardation to a whole new level. Money quote from the Double-N: "There's a much bigger gulf between a handshake with a head of state and a real check coming out of the treasury. You could argue I could have been more realistic in the beginning, but if I had, I would never have done this."
Think about that last sentence for a minute. Read it again if you need to. Let it sink in. Kind of distills the entire OLPC fiasco right down to its essence, doesn't it? If I'd been more realistic, I wouldn't have done this. Wow.
Meanwhile, in light of the fact that they'll be selling these machines in November, maybe you're wondering how close to being completed the actual product is. If so, check out this reassuring memo that OLPC prez (and MIT Media Lab dude) Walter Bender sent out over the weekend. (Photo: Burt Hammer, Hammer Agency.)
UPDATE: Double-N writes in to tell me that they stole their business plan for us. Writes the prof: "Boils down to this: Charge too much, and people will flock to your product." He says the chose the $399 price point to match our new iPhone price. Fair enough. I know which one I'd rather have under my Christmas tree. If I had a Christmas tree, which I don't, because I don't believe in Christmas.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Hundred-dollar laptop: Now $400, and for sale to American yuppies
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13 comments:
"targeting a new audience -- freetards who will overpay for a piece of not-quite-working-right equipment"
Good Omniscient Presence, FSJ, do you know what you've just said???
Wanna be first-in-line to buy AT&T-locked iPhones for $599.00, anyone?
>> If I had a Christmas tree, which I don't, because I don't believe in Christmas.
You are Jewish?
Well, maybe this will instill some child-like wonder back in those freetards. Geez, buy an iPhone or just give $399 to Amnesty, World Vision, buy 500 malaria vaccines or something... $399 US for a rubbish laptop. Bloody hell.
Way back in May we told Negroponte that President's loving laptops doesn’t equal Ministers buying XO's. Seems he's finally realized that himself.
Its disappointing to be proved right on OLPC so many times..
">> If I had a Christmas tree, which I don't, because I don't believe in Christmas.
You are Jewish?"
Steve believes that child-like wonder should be the right of all people around the world regardless of faith, or time of the year, for that matter.
"You are Jewish?"
Nah.
Apparently, El Jobso traveled to India and dabbled with different Eastern religions starting in the early 70s.
How could you not believe in Christmas? It falls on December 25 every year.
Now if you said you don't believe in what Christmas represents (crass commercialism in the guise of celebrating the birth of Christ) than I'd understand your statement.
It's a bit like saying one doesn't believe in Microsoft. I believe in Microsoft; I just hate them and all they stand for.
I'm shocked -- SHOCKED -- that an academic admits that unrealistic expectations can affect the outcome of a real-world situation. I'll bet he loses tenure over that admission.
And the non-surprise of the day is that the failure of the OLPC project is somehow gonna be my fault.
"You are Jewish?"
Nah.
Actually isn't El Jobso of middle eastern descent through his bastard daddy? Would explain why he looks like Salmon Rushdie these days.
Please get your numbers right: It's currently ¢ 188,– per laptop, ¢ 400,– for TWO of them. Or so the article says. And I personally think this is a great project.
I look at NN's picture and it screams that this is one sanctimonious bastard which academia is so good at producing and nourishing.
that's a great project
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