An interesting question, posed by Mark Spoonauer of Laptop Mag, about three different types of devices that companies are attempting to push to mainstream. Spoonauer put together a concise chart demonstrating the differences between these devices, and some predictions about the chances of success for each category. I’d add my own predictions for the future of these categories here, but I think Spoonauer has done a nice job and my thoughts mirror his own pretty closely. Check out his article here, it’s a brief but good read.
For the majority of the chart, the MID is treated like a smartphone without the phone capability, but at the bottom, he does mention that MIDs are becoming smartphones, which is more in line with the way I see things happening. He only gives MIDs a 20% chance of success, but I’m assuming that this is without the assumption that MIDs and smartphones will be synonymous soon.
New article: Between the MID/Tablet/Smartbook, Which Genre Will Succeed? http://bit.ly/bSoDLW
Between the MID/Tablet/Smartbook, Which Genre Will Succeed? http://bit.ly/aZRCiQ #mobile
at me the smartq v5 already succeeded. I was quite disappointing that you did not test it out. Best full mid that peaople are able to buy. it is lighter than my phone! peace
o you are right, mids become smartphones; actually smartphones are dead and relpaced by mids with full OP system
chippy tested a smartq7, and thats basically a 7″ version of the v5, minus whatever hardware they added vs the smartq5 to handle HD video playback.
Honestly, I hope none of these last.
But, if anything, I think MIDs will stick around. I personally don’t see the point of anything with larger than ~5″ screen and a limited OS. I’d much rather see UMPCs continue to shrink.
“limited os”?
Completely agree with you. 5″ is the biggest screen that can fit in a pocket. And with a resolution of 1024×600 it can handle a full OS and desktop applications. But a modified UI is a big advantage, so I believe Moblin or Mer (opensource version of Maemo) will be the best choice.
Limited OSs such as Android, WM or iPhone OS are a very bad decision on a MID.
Which Genre Will Succeed? Those which are widely available for purchase.
Smartbooks? Not available.
MIDs like Archos 5 IT with Android? Hardly available.
Tablets? Not with a Desktop-UI > mouse/keyboard.
Just seen: the first ARM-Netbook is coming next week
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2010/02/efika-mx-smartbook.html
http://www.genesi-usa.com/products
imo,
all 9/10″ tablets loses against something like the viliv S10 (or thinner),
because of it’s full featured OS and it’s swivelling screen wich basically turns it into a tablet.
all 10″ smartbooks looses against a 10/12″ (mobii ion mini)ion based netbook,
because it’s more interesting performance wise (geforce 9400g).
furthermore and imo a 12″ ion based netbook is more appealing than any other 15″ gaming notebook.
wich means that what would be perfect is 12″ ion based netbook with swivelling touchsreen, for a tablet, smartbook and n0tebook replacement.
concerning pocketable MID’s (keyboard enabled) a 5″ with a sliding design is prefered to a clamshell design simply because the keyboard isn’t always needed,
a slimmer and a little smaller eking S515 with a more important battery capacity would be ideal.
anything between 5.1 to 8.9 inches and all no-windows OS are meaningless.
My take?
MIDs are done, but UMPCs will continue the momentum. All in all, tablets are not as useful as netbooks and smartbooks are just scaled down netbooks that offer very little advantage. UMPCs will carry the industry thanks to their pocket-ability and the fact that they offer something new, unlike the others, a full web experience, like highend MIDs, and a full computing experience in your pocket. Will they merge with phones? Possibly. The problem is that I don’t see carriers liking this idea with Skype and a lot of hacking ability in Windows, at least not U.S. carries.
My opinion on what is an MID is: ARM processor, locked OS, 3″+ screen.
My opinion on what a UMPC is: Atom, or equivalent X86 processor, full Windows or full Linux with a 4-7″ screen.
I agree with alkarl that a sliding design is the best, but the slate and the clamshell designs work well too and, depending on the consumer’s preferences, are all good options. I prefer a sliding design, but the Viliv N5 has really caught my eye.
Regardless, we never know what the next gen. of pocket-able technology will hold.
i have a hp 2710p since 3 years- with + plus slice battery + hsdpa ; this is a wacom with nice win 7
since 3 days i have a smartq V (!)5. this is only 600mhz but dedicated mali200. know your facts. ipad lol. this plays my bbc planet earth 1080p 24mbit strem.
chippy tested the Q (!) 7 seven with outdated soft and os.
mine is running ubuntu 9.10
the programmers notified the forum that they still not finished with 3d accel. or 2d.
we are getting great performance atm. when drivers are ready it would be huge.
again, drivers are withheld by companies a little.
MID/UMPC devices with Voice & Data will become the winner from these 3 categories because:
1) A smartbook is basically the same as a Netbook in size and shape. Mainstream users will settle for a well know, reliable operating system like Windows before something like Linux simply because they do not know what it is! People are afraid of the un-known!
2) Tablets will loose popularity because they are just big screens. Its like carrying a glass window pane in your bag. It is going to break unless you have some kind of protection! Convertible computers on the other hand fold so they offer that protection and usability.
3)An UMPC/MID is the most likely to win because it fits everything you need into your pocket. With a FUll operating system and Netbook-like performance, who needs a smartphone!? As is most people use there phones as P(I)MPs so why not get all you can get into something you are already putting into your pocket?
Tablets, slates, anything with a touch screen will continue in to the future. MIDs will merge with smartphones. Not everyone can be satisfied by 4-5 inch screen. some require larger screen, and to be “mobile” s.a. weight & size at the same time. Why? Did you ever try to give or watch presentation on 4 inch screen? It doesn’t wark so well, trust me! On the other hand 10″ – 12″ convertable or a tablet is just perfect! Why not a netbook or a laptop? Touch screen makes all the difference! To try to balance computer in one hand, while punching buttons with another is not too comforable, plus maybe hazardous to your machine. Have you ever drop one? :)
Apple is a leader in the consumer electronics sector, so the iPad would enjoy a healthy popularity once it’s available thanks to the success of previous Apple products, like the Macbook, Mac OS X, iPhone & iPod…so the iPad is something different than just a “multimedia tablet”…it has a long list of credentials…
The netbooks/smartbooks…this has always been for the price sensible buyers…so it offers the basics, and companies cut corners as far as build quality, slower/cheaper cpus, less bell a whistles…the moment companies add more features to it, price goes up, and they become less attractive…it’s for the budget minded buyer…
UMPC/MID…well, regarding the phone functionality, one umpc/mid comes to mind right away: the XPPHONE…will this long annonced product be able to make it or break it? There are many videos online floating around demoing the “engineering” sample of the XPPHONE…showing some of its capabilities in action…but haven’t seen any end product really available…
As far as other UMPCs/MIDs…there are some with cell phone functionality, but those functions are not as well integrated into the usability of the UMPC (like what the XPPHONE “promises”…)…so hopefully we can see other companies bringing real products running a full OS…!
I very much disagree with this. I fear for the iPad. I fear that the iPad’s many flaws and the fact that it is very unappealing when you compare it to almost anything else in the category may cause a lose of interest in the category. I had hoped that the iPad would at least be a partial success, to stir interest in a lot of people. However the iPad is a failure and embodies none of the UMPC’s strengths.
Mids have always had a niche market and will continue to have one as long as they are produced. To my knowledge they any of these devices listed do not really “target the masses” as much as all the companies would like them to.
-MID’s are small and portable, but many of the older people see them as being too small.
-Tablets may appeal to some, for their ability to have multitouch, handwriting, and ebooks, however it is large and bulky, and despite what they want you to believe, in most cases is much heavier than a paperback book and you won’t really want to hold it long durations.
-The IPAD has ton of flaws that need to be looked into and addressed, and some that likely never will be. The lack of multitasking; even running music while reading, or viewing web pages is daunting. Also the lack of a real OS and having no flash, will really hurt anyone wanting to use this tablet for anything more than ebooks. Sure having your iphone apps is nice (assuming they let you transfer ones you have already purchased), however no flash = no web experience.
-All in all convertible laptops seem to be the way of the future, as you get tablet functions as well as a real OS, for very little change in the cost.
ARM is trying to climb the ladder to netbooks trough android and iphone os, intel is going to counterattack (since it’s ARM-less) with x86 moorestown and maybe a sooner medfield since 32nm have been proven with arrandale’s cpus.
microsoft is trying to counter iphone supremacy with WM7 but it will definitely backup intel if needed with some kind of lite & idle version of XP or Win7.
ARM have crippled OS’s support this battle won’t last long, all is depending on the future of intel atom’s power consumption and baterry capacity development.
UMPC’s are winners because they have famous siblings called smartphones which will take the role of market openers.
pico projector is also a nice technology to have onboard in the future of pocket devices.
In my opinion, all these tablets (iPad-style) are just a temporary fashionable thing that are actually very uncomfortable to use (holding that thing in the air for an hour-plus is VERY tiresome), limited in features (no real OS, no multitasking, no USB connectivity, no real keyboard, no flash, etc) and all in all there is nothing they can do that a netbook cant. So, in my opinion, the iPad is another marketing stunt like the Macbook Air but with no beef to back the hype back.
Smartbooks? I still dont see the difference between them and standard netbooks to be honest…
As far as I am concerned, I am all over MIDs right now, especially those with Windows environment and Atom processors. As a mobile IT professional, being able to edit HTML documents, FTP uploads, photo editing, etc on a device that fits on a jacket pocket is just priceless.
I don’t know where you get your information on tablets, but you better do you homework. Tablets do run FULL Win 7 OS, they do have USB ports, Some of them with larger screens, have DVD drives as well,and most of them have a keyboard. As far as weight concern, it’s the same or slightly less than comparable laptop. If you can hold it for an hour you certanly can hold a tablet. On top of that many most popular apps come now with touchscreen support, includin but not limited to MS Office, Photoshot, Correl draw, etc. So buttom line is, Tablet offers same functionality as comparable note/netbook PLUS touch screen functionality. IMHO, the biggest setback for tablets right now is very high price tag (almost twice as expansive as reular laptop)and limited availability. At least here in New York you can find them only on the web, major retailers don’t have them.
Holding a tablet isn’t the same as holding a netbook/laptop. You support the entire weight of a tablet in your arms. You place a netbook/laptop on a table. This is a difference between mobile and portable – which is actually backwards as they are all portable, but the netbook isn’t mobile. Notice the way the iPad was being used. You are seated and resting it on your leg for any extended use (because it is too big and heavy.) So no you can’t hold them for an hour easily.
Not all tablets run Full OSes.
I personally would choose a Convertible laptop i.e. S10 over a slate/tablet. But that’s because I want functionality over form. When on screen keyboards or alternative forms of keyboards get cheap and usable then I would want to ditch the extra weight.
If I were to design a tablet right now I would include a DVD/Blu Ray player. As basically the way a tablet is useful isn’t for productivity but for consumption. So you need 720p screen res. Oh and add a bigger pico projector which can be angled when using the slate’s kickstand.
You can twist and turn words as much as you want to prove your point. :) But tablets do include what you call “convertable laptop”. And iPod is not a good example of main stream tablet. Slate models, s.a. Archos 9 do have a stand that you can fold to place it comfortalble on a table pretty much same way as laptop, you know, laws of phisics? And very nice,very useful full size keyboards are sold in any electronic retailers starting with just around 10-15 dollars. Just keep your mind open! :)
I just bought an Acer Aspire One (8.9″) for an incredible price. The one thing here in the US that I think will determine which will provail is the PRICE. Money is tight now. I wanted something faster than my Samsung Q!U-V and more HDD space. Also i agree with the statement above about the OS. No one wants to use something that is not tried and true. I want something that is pocketable, but I choose value and elimination of other devices to make life easier. My old Archos 380 is on my Aspire and the files from my Samsung, and TC1100 and Sony UX380, so I have eliminated more weight to carry. I do want a pocketable device, but not at the expense and frustration of learning an new OS especially when something doesn’t work.
Good discussion going on about the mid/umpc/tablet segment here. http://bit.ly/dysxr9
All this talk of winners and losers makes me wonder what the definition of success is. If i make an MID that sell 100K units, makes 95% of owners happy, builds a brand that can be used in the future, makes a profit of $2m but doesnt even register by any measure of market share, i would call it a success.
What i hope will happen is that companies think about 1 platform, multiple devices to satisfy many different types of customers. The chances of anything in the 4-8″ segment being a 10M unit per year success are close to zero so lets hope pc companies start to think like auto manufacturers and go for the single-platform, multiple model/variant model. Both ARM and Intel are in a position to offer this to clients within the next 12 months. I feel Intel / Moblin / Intel app store has a better offering than most.
i blame all those stock market analyzers that seems to have made market share the holy grail of one number success indicators (basically the same as Hz for cpu, megapixel for cameras and other “higher is better” examples).
The competition will be fierce on all device-types, manufacturers, and OS’s/platforms. I think that the “convertible tablets,” off features, power, full OS, and tablet mode, that would give users the best of all worlds. I am particularly fond of the forward-thinking, sleekly-designed Viliv devices. The Apple iPad, will probably be a “convergence, niche” sleek tablet, with a fast, and sleek touch GUI, with its own somewhat closed ecosystem. The iPad’s underlying limitations, have been pretty extensively reported over the last ten days. I am a MS Windows person, but recently bought an IPOD 3G 32GB, touch, that I use as a professional, business, and Internet WiFi MID. I also have an IPAQ hx 4705, with that beautiful 4 inch VGA display. I still like my IPAQ, but it only still has the original 64 MB of RAM. Does, Chippy, or anyone know, how I could get more than 128 MB of RAM, on this device? I would be very appreciative. This is my first post on this site. Thanks,…P
Until we get some dramatic improvement in either batteries or the power required to run a full OS capable device with WWAN, MIDs, Smartbooks and the a like most def has a future.
Personally though with the capabilities I can now achieve with my two smartphones (out of which one is a iPhone 3GS) and VNC I don’t have the same need for a UMPC I had 2-3 yrs ago.
I believe if we can see some decent virtual machine solutions for say the iPad we might maybe even start to see a slow but sure death of “traditional full OS'”.
The iPad really isn’t something that appeals to most any of us visiting this site, yet it has us talking, I am sure I will within the next year get a refurbished or used iPad just to have one around home for surfing, entertainment etc.
What I am thinking though is will the emerging smartbooks turn more or less all into smartPADs? Also I wouldn’t mind there be a upscale smartphone category that would be a 5″ or so MID. Personally I’d love a 5″ iPhone, maybe with iPad features like capability to add a BT keyboard.
Time will show but I do think that cloud computing and ARM based devices (or the alike) will only grow the next few years. We are slowly going back to the mainframe-dummy terminal setup as I have been saying for years now :)
Mids Tablets Smartbooks UMPCs Netbooks Smartphones.
This is market segmentation gone mad. All of the devices that fall under these catagories have a CPU/RAM/Chipset combination that allow them to fullfil traditional computing tasks.
Back in the day the ‘killer app’ for desktop PCs was a spreadsheet program, the ability to cruch numbers quickly and acurately soon became the main reason business bought a computer. The need to run office based applications faster saw traditional desktop CPUs get ever faster and more power hungry. Todays killer app is the Internet. The whole Internet and everything it offers to all people has seen an explosion in devices specifically designed to access it. The power in terms of CPU speed and voltage (hence battery life) needed to access the internet is far lower compared with that of gaming and video editing for instance.
I think today we are in the gold rush of internet access via small, frugal but powerfull devices. Manufactures don’t know what to build so they build everything hoping for hit. Likewise consumers aren’t sure what they want either, the killer app keeps evolving and offering new ways to consume and interact. How is Jo Public going to decide on a device when they can barely keep up with what is being offered?
Add a GSM aerial to MID and you have a smartphone, add a keyboard to a slate and you have a netbook. Yes, some of these catagories will merge and some will change their name, but it’s all market segmentation by an industry desperate to communicate products to consumers when they themselves have had little time to understand the products usage model, it’s like one huge beta period for the mobile industry.
Right now, I’ll take anything innovative with a small screen, I don’t care what you want to call it. Bring on the Gold Rush.
(YMMV, IMO etc etc)
Agreed. Make it 5.6″ with almost no bezel (like HD2 – but bigger) and I’ll buy it.