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For the same price as a Kindle I have the sudden urge to put things into perspective: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co

For the same price as a Kindle I have the sudden urge to put things into perspective: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 each C64 had an estimated production cost of only $135 I just have a really hard time being impressed by any of this. Maybe I'm too cynical, but it seems like they're aiming too low.

qaexl 19y ago
That comparison with the C64 is not adjusted for inflation and changes in consumer purchasing power. Besides, the US dollar is weak and getting weaker. As time goes on, it'll get even more affordable by developing nations. I thought that the XO was a neat piece of hardware, something that would be cool to have but is not world-shaking, disruptive technology. About a month ago, I actually went onto their site to look at how the software was put together with the hardware. I then extrapolated what that would do to young impressionable minds. And yeah, the OLPC XO is disruptive technology disguised as an educational tool. It was designed to be used by a group and not an individual. It is the kind of device you would give to a group of US kids to give them an educational edge, and it was originally intended to be exclusively distributed to developing nations. If the device ever reaches the tipping point, there will be a generation of kids who thinks us adults are crazy to be using our current software setup, much the same way the Facebook generation thinks email users are nuts ... or how we laugh at the IBM execs who thought that the PC is a really smart mainframe terminal. It is something that when I have kids, I will follow the genetic imperative to pass advantageous traits and buy/import/smuggle whatever latest model in order to give them at age 7, as a rite-of-passage gift.
tlrobinson 19y ago
Remember, $400 is the cost of two XOs. So really it's more like half the price of a Kindle. Plus as qaexl noted, you're not taking into account inflation, etc. And I do think the Kindle is overpriced.
mechanical_fish 19y ago
In case you're curious, the Inflation Calculator [1] reports that $135 in 1982 dollars is $289 in 2006 dollars. That's the C64 production cost, not a retail price. The MSRP of the Commodore 64 was $595 in 1982 ($1272.61 in 2006 dollars). [1] http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
- mynameishere 19y ago
  By the way, everyone, I'm quite aware of how inflation works. The point is: The C64 was roughly as good as any home computer of the day. The OLPC is bottom of the heap, and I can pick up a used computer for 20 dollars that would shred it.

qaexl 19y ago

That comparison with the C64 is not adjusted for inflation and changes in consumer purchasing power. Besides, the US dollar is weak and getting weaker. As time goes on, it'll get even more affordable by developing nations. I thought that the XO was a neat piece of hardware, something that would be cool to have but is not world-shaking, disruptive technology. About a month ago, I actually went onto their site to look at how the software was put together with the hardware. I then extrapolated what that would do to young impressionable minds. And yeah, the OLPC XO is disruptive technology disguised as an educational tool. It was designed to be used by a group and not an individual. It is the kind of device you would give to a group of US kids to give them an educational edge, and it was originally intended to be exclusively distributed to developing nations. If the device ever reaches the tipping point, there will be a generation of kids who thinks us adults are crazy to be using our current software setup, much the same way the Facebook generation thinks email users are nuts ... or how we laugh at the IBM execs who thought that the PC is a really smart mainframe terminal. It is something that when I have kids, I will follow the genetic imperative to pass advantageous traits and buy/import/smuggle whatever latest model in order to give them at age 7, as a rite-of-passage gift.

tlrobinson 19y ago

Remember, $400 is the cost of two XOs. So really it's more like half the price of a Kindle. Plus as qaexl noted, you're not taking into account inflation, etc. And I do think the Kindle is overpriced.

mechanical_fish 19y ago

In case you're curious, the Inflation Calculator [1] reports that $135 in 1982 dollars is $289 in 2006 dollars. That's the C64 production cost, not a retail price. The MSRP of the Commodore 64 was $595 in 1982 ($1272.61 in 2006 dollars). [1] http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

mynameishere 19y ago
By the way, everyone, I'm quite aware of how inflation works. The point is: The C64 was roughly as good as any home computer of the day. The OLPC is bottom of the heap, and I can pick up a used computer for 20 dollars that would shred it.