This week was a big one of “5′s” for the Intel® Learning Series…5 years, 500 members, and 5 million units!

- 5 years: It has now been five years since we showcased the first classmate PC reference design in 2006.

- 500 members: We recently surpassed the milestone of over 500 members of our Intel® Learning Series Alliance, working to enable localized, holistic education solutions around the world.

- 5,000,000 units: We announced on Wednesday at the Intel® Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco that we have now deployed over five million units of the Intel-powered classmate PC in more than 70 countries!

 

And there is so much more to accomplish. As a preview, we showcased at IDF this week our new clamshell and convertible tablet classmate PC platforms, running on a new Intel Atom™ processor, code-named Cedar Trail. These classmate PCs (available by end of year) will have longer battery life, improved ruggedness, and an even better user experience with premium writing and touch options.

We set up a simulated classroom at IDF with students from one of our pilot schools in the San Francisco Bay Area so that visitors could see the classmate PC in action. The kids wore Intel “bunny suits” (see photo) and competed against members of the press on a quiz, using the classroom management software that comes with the classmate PCs. Everyone enjoyed the fact that nine-year-old Joseph won the competition in terms of both speed and accuracy (we did give Intel pens as consolation prizes to the press so they wouldn’t feel too badly).

When I stop to reflect on our progress over these past five years, what comes to mind are the educators and children I have had the pleasure to meet in some of the 70 countries where we are working, from Argentina to Brazil to China to India to Portugal. Hearing their stories – about how learning is now more engaging and fun, how teachers and students come to school on the weekends and in the rain to use their new computers, how students with disabilities are now able to participate in the learning process, how children have gained the confidence to pursue their dreams – is both inspiring and humbling.

Our team is passionate about improving the quality of education with technology, and we have so much more we want to do. More children we want to reach. More solutions we want to enable. More impact we want to deliver.

Let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made this Intel Learning Series journey possible so far – our customers who have helped us design technology solutions for their local educational needs, our partners who have enhanced and delivered the solutions, and my dedicated team members at Intel who have worked tirelessly to reach these milestones.

We invite you to join us as we work even harder to accomplish bigger and better things for education in the years to come!