$100 gadget?

Well, according to Intel's Chairman of the Board it is. And in the same story, C|Net has some info that suggests that he may be right. Barrett said similar schemes in the past that were tried elsewhere in the world had failed and users would not be satisfied with the new machine's limited range of programs. ... "It turns out what people are looking for is something that has the full functionality of a PC," he said. "Reprogrammable to run all the applications of a grown-up PC...not dependent on servers in the sky to deliver content and capability to them, not dependent for hand cranks for power." History in some ways is on Barrett's side. Attempts to bring low-cost PCs to Brazil have failed several times. The Simputer, a cheap computer designed in India, fell flat and Advanced Micro Devices has not sold many of its cheap Internet devices for the emerging world, according to sources. I don't know enough about the other plans, but from what there is out there - the $100 laptop plan includes some measure of training as I'm sure others have, but more importantly it's from a completely educational standpoint, not a sales/pr one. I may be naive on this point, but hey - that is part of the game. I think Barrett misses the point, these are not supposed to be full laptops, they are educational tools that leverage laptop capabilities. Technorati Tags: Sub $100 laptop, Nicholas Negroponte, Intel, Craig Barrett