Talk about vision and dedication! (Nicholas Negroponte)

Nicholas Negroponte (more about him in another xThink blog: http://wp.me/pRTdf-16) has a vision, “one laptop per child,” and dedication. The point in this blog is that his vision and dedication is extraordinary.

He set up a non-profit corporation to produce computer hardware. Revenues soared at one point, then shrank drastically. Several points about Negroponte’s reactions to the ups and downs of the marketplace:

• No griping: He did not curse his pretty ruthless competitors, including Intel.
• Eyes on the prize: He praised the industry as a whole for moving society toward the goal of getting robust computers into the hand of the world’s children.
• Adaptation: He has now adapted his laptop vision into a tablet vision, and is now well on the way to making it possible to achieve “one tablet per child.” And these tablets will have the world-class, cutting-edge functionality (or more) that is currently restricted to iPad owners.

Yes, Negroponte knows that some argue that he has failed to post good numbers and failed to be realistic in some ways. In response, “We think unrealistic is good,” says Negroponte. “The world needs some people who aren’t realistic, or you’ll always get the same old stuff.” (SOURCE: http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/26/olpc-ipad-apple-technology-negroponte.html?boxes=Homepagechannels)

iPad: All things to all people?

xThink started providing software for tablets in 2003. Starting in 2009, we at xThink have been wondering about the iPad tablet. Would iPad’s identity be restricted to what users do on iPhone?  A recent video report at the Gotta Be Mobile forum provides one more proof that the answer is, “No!”:
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2010/05/02/hector-gomez-remoting-into-office-2007-on-his-ipad

An ingenious Hector Gomez shows how he is accessing applications on remote computers through iPad. And he is not just viewing his documents, he is launching applications and running them!

Mr. Gomez’s example is one of many examples thatencourages xThink’s high hopes for iPad in education, especially STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. We at xThink are convinced that our products can do as much and more than what they have already accomplished since 2003.

Professor Negroponte sees “it”

Forbes.com news service describes Professor Nicholas Negroponte as a digital visionary. Fair enough. As founder of MIT’s Media Lab (1983), author of bestselling book Being Digital (1995), and director of the One Laptop Per Child nonprofit (2005), Negroponte also has shaped the computer industry.

In xThink’s opinion, Negroponte’s vision helps us see the iPad from a different perspective. iPad shows all the signs of having “gotten it right.” The size, the speed, the finger-tip based interaction features make iPad a pleasure to use for countless digital tasks. However, from the perspective of Negroponte’s constructionist educational mission, iPad is not enough.

“[The iPad] is lovely, but it’s not a constructionist device,” he says. “Ours will have cameras and a haptic screen [that vibrates in response to touch]. It will be more open, run flash and be more of a computer instead of a peripheral device.” (SOURCE: http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/26/olpc-ipad-apple-technology-negroponte.html?boxes=Homepagechannels)

“Peripheral device.” That hurts. We really do love our iPads at xThink. But Negroponte has a point. This new generation of tablets led by iPad emphasize their entertainment value. Eventually tablets need to appeal to humankind’s age-old hunger to learn and solve problems. There a several ways to go about this:

• Negroponte’s way:
  Create a tablet with price and functionality that exceeds the value proposition of iPad, especially with respect to the need for education in poor communities around the world.
• iPad user community’s way:
  Members of the iPad user community are pushing the envelope of iPad’s “peripheral” functionality in countless ways, making iPad a tool for their work and creative expression and problem solving (beyond socializing and passive consumption). One example is mentioned in another xThink blog: http://wp.me/pRTdf-19
• iPad App developers’ way:
  iPad Application developers are finding ways to adapt iPad. This is not Apple’s responsibility. Tablets are a platform. Many excellent tablet products are in the pipeline, including Negroponte’s upcoming device. What’s missing is the software, for example, software tools that work to inspire students in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).

Developers must find the right combination of user interface, content, interactivity, visualization, intelligent search, and so on, to build the tools (portals for exploring what is known and generating new knowledge) in support of the next generation of developers. Negroponte sees this necessity, and adds to “it” his own exceedingly noble crusade to commodify hardware, to get computers into the hands of every child.

[Idea for a future blog entry: "The obligation of software developers to self-replicate."]