New OLPC Pres. doesn't know what netbooks and nettops are

[greggh]

http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/the-sta ... pc-project

at 3:40 Scoble asks him:

Scoble: "Why this device? Why not a netbook? Because I just saw a whole bunch of netbooks at the consumer electronics show in Berlin that cost about $400. Right, these are about $200?"

Kane: "These are about $200 right now, and the reason is that there's more to it than just a book. We typically will load a hundred books onto this computer, as part of the deployment, as we've done in Uruguay, Peru, and some other countries, in their native language. But the computer is much more than just a book. It's got all the capabilities of any computer you... in fact you're seeing a surge now in what's called nettops, computers that are low end laptops. And those computers are typically just internet enabled. These computers... remember we're not a computer company. We're an education company. And the idea of everything that is in and around this computer and what it enables, is education related, so we have a lot of education software that we build into the computer, that enables the child to advance its learning skills, his or her learning skills, etc."

He thinks a netbook is an ebook. He thinks nettops are netbooks, and that they can only access the internet and do nothing else. From the interview, he seems to me to be some hired MBA that has no real intimate knowledge of the OLPC device, and just learned some generalities and platitudes to spout. Notice later in the interview when he does the classic 'put your hand on mouth' to feign interest in what Scoble is saying.

Later, at about 11:00 he talks about Negreponte's deal with the Devil... I mean Balmer. It's so depressing to see what started as a worthy project just so completely lose its soul.

[Claudio]

http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/the-sta ... pc-project

at 3:40 Scoble asks him:

Scoble: "Why this device? Why not a netbook? Because I just saw a whole bunch of netbooks at the consumer electronics show in Berlin that cost about $400. Right, these are about $200?"

Kane: "These are about $200 right now, and the reason is that there's more to it than just a book. We typically will load a hundred books onto this computer, as part of the deployment, as we've done in Uruguay, Peru, and some other countries, in their native language. But the computer is much more than just a book. It's got all the capabilities of any computer you... in fact you're seeing a surge now in what's called nettops, computers that are low end laptops. And those computers are typically just internet enabled. These computers... remember we're not a computer company. We're an education company. And the idea of everything that is in and around this computer and what it enables, is education related, so we have a lot of education software that we build into the computer, that enables the child to advance its learning skills, his or her learning skills, etc."

He thinks a netbook is an ebook. He thinks nettops are netbooks, and that they can only access the internet and do nothing else. From the interview, he seems to me to be some hired MBA that has no real intimate knowledge of the OLPC device, and just learned some generalities and platitudes to spout. Notice later in the interview when he does the classic 'put your hand on mouth' to feign interest in what Scoble is saying.

Later, at about 11:00 he talks about Negreponte's deal with the Devil... I mean Balmer. It's so depressing to see what started as a worthy project just so completely lose its soul.

That just goes to show you why OLPC fell from grace the way they did.