Good Morning Silicon Valley

Almost from the beginning of his One Laptop Per Child project, Nicholas Negroponte as been sniping at Intel, not just for its lack of support but for its seeming desire to win with a competing product. “Intel … is just being silly,” he said in February. “I went to them first. … They dismissed the idea. … After Intel Chairman Craig Barrett called One Laptop Per Child a ‘gadget,’ Intel developed their own gadget and talks of ‘competing with One Laptop Per Child.’ Huh? … For Intel to be criticizing One Laptop Per Child is a bit like Johnson & Johnson picking on the Red Cross because they use Ace bandages.” Intel’s Barrett just rolled his eyes. “We’re not trying to drive him out of business. We’re trying to bring capability to young people,” he said in May after another volley from Negroponte. “And it’s more than just Intel. It’s going to take the whole industry to do this. There are lots of opportunities for us to work together. That’s why when you say this is competition, we’re tying to drive him out of business: this is crazy.”

Well, apparently the craziness is over. Intel announced today that it would join the board of the OLPC project and kick in money and expertise. Happy talk ensued. “Joining OLPC is a further example of our commitment to education over the last 20 years and our belief in the role of technology in bringing the opportunities of the 21st century to children around the world, ” said Paul Otellini, Intel CEO. And a now gracious Negroponte said, “Intel joins the OLPC board as a world leader in technology, helping reach the world’s children. Collaboration with Intel means that the maximum number of laptops will reach children.”

What this likely means is that OLPC’s crank-powered XO laptop and Intel’s plugged-in Classmate PC will be made available to governments in the developing world in package deals, perhaps with the XO serving rural areas and the Classmate going to urban districts. “There are an awful lot of educational scenarios between K and 12,” said William Swope, Intel’s director of corporate affairs. “We don’t think all those are going to be served by any one form factor, by any one technology, by any one product.” Meanwhile, AMD, which until now was the exclusive special friend of the OLPC, bit its lip and hoped it was not on the way to getting pushed aside, saying, “Intel’s apparent change of heart is welcome, and we’re sure they can make a positive contribution to this very worthy project for the benefit of children all over the world.”