You know that MID / UMPC craze (
remember origami?) that was supposed to change our lives? Well, it hasn't. In fact, if the unofficial numbers reported by
DigiTimes are correct, then sales of bulky,
Menlow-based MIDs have been a disaster which helps explain why
manufacturers have grown skeptical of the platform.
DigiTimes is reporting sales of just 30,000 units compared to the 150,000 - 200,000 units Intel
promised estimated. Intel claims that the weak sales were due to the global economic downturn but we have another opinion: mainstream consumers don't want a device that is too big for the pocket, provides less functionality than a netbook, and is priced like a laptop. That, and we still haven't seen a compelling usage scenario for this device category -- simply pairing Intel's next generation
Moorestown with Moblin isn't a fix. Of course, it's no surprise that Intel got blindsided by the rise of the modern smartphone, that's
not their turf...
yet.
posted Jun 5th 2009 5:01AM
Good Game intel :D
They are just doing it wrong. Nobody wants a 4" tablet running Windows XP badly and for two to three hours. I think plenty of people would want a machine in this form factor that has just enough power for browsing, video and audio, with the added benefit of being a good-enough ebook reader. I don't think the OS is much of a concern as long as these functions are present - I personally don't mind what brand of Linux or Android it is - as long as the battery lasts a full day of standby with a few hours of use. Having the machine low-powered also brings the price down to a reasonable level (sub € 300). And a last thing - this machine can already be bought in the form of the Nokia N810.
yeh really.. well done for designing the most pointless piece of kit ever
we already have IPOD TOUCH that practically can do ALL-IN-ONE and never compromised on the speed, so why need a MID? unless the price is really.. i MEAN REALLY CHEAP that one won't mind paying for extra gadget.
Remember Origami? MID were there before the touch or Iphone... it was a cool device, very futuristic, but sadly it was also overpriced. Netbook are a success because of the cheap Asus eee.
I want MIDs / UMPCs to 'change our lives', but they simply aren't good enough yet. There's not even an overpriced example of the genre that other companies can try and emulate. Give it time for the cpu power to go up, the price to go down, and most importantly, day-long battery life, and the UMPC will actually sell.
Completely agreed. So far, the prices have been too high, but frankly, I'l concede that some users will be better off with a keyboard, so they may not like some of the touch screen MID's or may just opt for a netbook. So far, I'm not for Netbooks. If I can get a touch screen Tabet PC, like the Viliv X70, I won't need a smaller MID... that device will do what I want. Depending on price, I may just go for a full blown tabet pc in the 12" range although I will hate the weight.
Android would give these devices smartphone functionality (cell phone calls, SMS/MMS, location-based services, etc.). That functionality might make them more appealing, as an alternative to a smartphone.
There is a video of a cool MID that dual-boots with Android here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAFX1ijYQc&feature=player_embedded
Ars has a good couple of articles on why it thinks ARM (Tegra/ Snapdragon/ Cortex) is likely to beat x86 (Menlow/ Moorestown) in this space. Battery life, price and customer usage scenarios are all key areas where x86 is weaker. That and Tegra devices already have carrier distribution deals for the end of this year in the bag whereas the Moorestown devices are still just in prototype. At the end of the day, isn't Linux on ARM the same as Linux on x86?
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/06/nvidias-tegra-takes-on-intel-in-the-midpmp-market.ars
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/06/adobe-nvidia-and-android-weaken-intels-case-for-atom-in-netbooks.ars
I agree with everything except Tegra -- at least in it's current incarnation. While the GPU may be excellent, Tegra is still using a 600-750mhz ARM11 as the processing core. And despite using a dual-core architecture, it is probably not powerful enough to power a larger MID or netbook type device.
Cortex-A8 based processors using the new ARMv7 instruction set (like TI OMAP3 which goes up to 1000mhz) are twice as fast per-clock as ARM11 and scale to higher clockspeeds. The custom "Cortex A8-like" Snapdragon core is even faster per clock, and is already offered at 1300 mhz combined with a 600mhz+ DSP. And T.I. and Qualcomm are already advertising their dual-core Cortex-A9 chips that scale to 1.0 and 1.5Ghz (ready next year).
Nvidia needs to step up the game with Tegra, and get the new ARM cores in there.
MIDs are a wasteful compromise between smart phones and netbook. Their batter life is low and they aren't as pocketable as a phone, and neither do they have a keyboard large enough for decent word processing. All in all, a blurry device between smart phones and netbooks. Marks this the first nail in the coffin.
MIDs will sell when they are powerful enough to make you want to attach an external monitor and keyboard. Crappy internet browsing and small screen video playback is available on cell phones already. MIDs will rock when they seamlessly integrate with the K/V/M in your house, car and office and have enough power not to frustrate you in so doing.
I much prefer a smartphone to this. well... if they put phone functions in one, I might consider. And I do mean phone, camera and media player.
I bet if they sold them with that picture of a kitty on the front the sales would at least double :)
I just bought an Intel MID (Viliv S5). I have quite a good use for this device. And I believe many other people would want such thing too. But there are following problems:
1) Poor capacity. Most MIDs only have 4 or 8 GB SSD.
2) High price. They cost more then 600 USD.
3) Weak graphics cards
4) High consumption, must have a big and heavy battery.
5) The fifth and most important point - there are almost no MIDs available worldwide. There is Viliv S5, Aigo MID and BenQ S6. That's all.
I would like to equip the Viliv S5 with an HDMI connector, SD card reader, slide out keyboard, phone capabilities and make it a little smaller. That's all I would ask for. That would be an ultimate device for me. Menlow should allow all this.
You can't compare MID to a smartphone. The processing power is much higher. Loading a difficult webpage will only take a few seconds to load compared to almost one minute on today's smartphones. Also the 5" 1024x600 screen is the smallest one that allows comfortable web browsing, e-mail reading, GPS navigation and video watching. It is at the same time the biggest screen that allows good portability.
The new Menlow platform should rapidly decrease consumption, decrease size and hopefully will be better priced. The competition of ARM based devices should keep the price low I hope.
I'm not a fan of Intel, in fact I hate them just as much as Microsoft, but I like the idea of MID. I would buy a similarly equipped ARM device if there was any. Unfortunately there isn't.
These are all design flaws that can and should have been corrected since the originals were released. The real issue with UMPCs and MIDs is that the design has not be updated since 1998. The ones on sale now, look, feel, and function just like the ones from 10 years ago, just we new guts to keep up with demands of current OS's.
This segment is pointless. They all should just merge their UMPC's, MID's, and Netbooks into one comprehensive product. I guess it would be like a touch screen phone, just the size of an Archos 7. That would be a great device.
I saw a mid in the computer shop today, AU1,200 on special, a good 10.2inch netbook is only $800 (Samsung) and it came with a USB wifi dongle.
just like UMPC, the price is still too high
I like them alot but also have to echo, they're too expensive. Besides, the way smartphones are going lately they're pretty much one and the same in alot of ways
I
I just wanted to say that Engadget composed an extremely fitting collage pic for that article. That is all.
The general public won't carry a MID unless it is ALSO THEIR PHONE with battery that lasts a full day. Smartphones (including Snapdragon powered) will invade and save the MID catagory. It is happening already as each generation of Smartphone is more and more powerful with larger and larger screens. Looking forward to the Touch Pro II with a 3.6 inch screen, and already wishing it was 4 inches, etc.
I own the Nokia n810 and for the price that it's available at (~$200) its a FAR better value than an ipod touch.
- real mozilla-based browsing
- micro-sdhc expansion
- linux core (maemo)
- REAL sat gps
- 800x480 rez on a 4"screen
- great battery life (vids give you ~ 4hrs ... browsing and music, 8rs)
- open source community
So you then look at the factor of the machine. The difference between these machines and most phones is they have larger keyboards(in most cases the fact they have keyboards at all), slightly larger screens, and connectivity options(usb ports, video output). They typically lack cellular connectivity options and have shorter battery lives. The difference between these and laptops is they have smaller keyboards, smaller keyboards, lack cd/dvd/bluray capabilities, shorter battery lives, and less connectivity options(typically only one usb port, lack of parallel).
The only big advertising push I've seen for using one of these is that they can "run full versions of windows". Honestly, the main reason to use windows are A) You've got some software that's only offered on windows(games, custom apps, legacy apps, legacy formats) or B) You've got some hardware that only(or best) works with windows(printers, cameras, whatever).
If your trying to address B, the hardware your connecting to typically is stationary and you have to use a cord to connect to it. What's the purpose of making a computer as small as possible if its going to be sitting in one spot tethered to a cord? The size is too large to be pocketable, so I guess it'd be home or work bound anyway, but at that point, why bother for the same cost as a laptop?
If your trying to address A, a UMPC works pretty well except that the experience of using most of those softwares is pretty pathetic. Games are terrible due to the low class of graphics, unfit keyboards, and pathetic choices of processors/memory. Some of the same reasons could be given to "productivity" softwares(like Office) where the cramped keyboards and screens create usability problems.
So, if the windows experience would be better with a laptop or desktop, that means the UMPC's are competing against the whole range of "internet tablets". I've got a Nokia N800. Honestly, its my bathroom pc.
I use it while laying in the tub, I use it in the morning after a particularly large dinner. I occasionally take it with me into the bedroom when I just can't get to sleep. The only thing its good at is web browsing, listening to music, and running some crappy games. The software selection is lackluster at best. It was cheap($230) and its battery lasts a long-long time. I could easily replace it with an i-pod touch and would probably be happier.
Actually, I'd prefer they brought back smart displays. Take the home server concept a little further by letting me have a virtual pc that's only accessable through remote desktop, build me a 4-10 inch screen with 802.11/g/n and audio. Have it cost under 200. Build an attachment for my living room tv where I could flip something on my smart display to turn it into just a virtual keyboard/trackpad with my tv as my big display. That I'd use all day long at home. I want a portable display for a central pc(read closet) that I can switch between acting like a tablet pc and acting like a peripheral(keyboard/trackpad mode).
why hasn't anyone mentioned that cute little kitten. Doesn't he look delicious?
This makes me wonder: what is so cute about Down Syndrome kitty?
he's cute because he's special. special like me. Mommy wow, I'm a big kid now!
as a addict, gadgets are like crack for me, but somehow MIDs ain't attractive enough for me to buy.
So I have owned a Nokia N800 for a bit now and I do have to say that it is not what I expected when I bought it. I thought I would use it all the time for all sorts of stuff, but now I find that I use it mostly as an ebook reader, an music/video player, an alarm clock, and occasionally a flashlight. I got it second hand for a steal, but to be honest most of these devices nowadays are way too pricey to be really worth it. Right now I have a behemoth of a laptop and this itty-bitty MID thing and I have been considering a netbook more and more just to get something in the middle.
DUH
Smartphones killed it, and will continue to kill it with WVGA HD capable phones with full flash coming out this half of 2009.
Oh, c'mon...
Devices like this are *critical* for... sending the entire database of secrets of the American intelligence apparatus to your ex-bestfriend from college, so he can be babysat by a hot blond and an NSA assassin.
Thank you, I'll be here all week.
They havent found the niche yet. Nothing out today is cheap enough just big enough and has enough features with a decent battery time. I think the crunchpad if it delivers what its supposed to will pretty much make the internet tablet market and asus clearly has netbooks in their pocket. Someone just needs to design and implement a decent MID. ASUS has the edge to do it......
heres a usage scenario: just got out of a week in the hospital, and she had to lay on her left side the whole time. a laptop wouldn't work, and the iphone's version of safari just pisses her ()and me) off. enter Samsung q1 to save the day. games, internet, email, etc. it was a sanity saver.
A MID sounds OK, but I think the best of both worlds is....
A dual boot WinXP & WinMo 6.5 smartphone that has a 800x480 5" screen min.
(Not unless the next WinMo7 can accept programs made for XP)
It ought to have a slide out keyboard, phone, GPS, 802.11, camera & dongle (or base) that has various video out, extra USB ports & multi sized SD reader.
It would be a big phone, but it would entirely replace need for standalone MID.
What cripples a smartphone is lack of a proper webrowser/flash support and inability to use winXP programs.
What cripples a MID is battery life, having to have a separate phone and ridiculous price.
It's an economic depression, people. More people unemployed today than in the last 27 years. About a third of a million more people lost their jobs last month. A good chuck of the newly employed are working temp or menial jobs with no insurance at very low pay. This is why auto sales, PC sales, MID sales, almost all sales are down and will remain so. All the rest is sophistry and almost incomprehensible inability to understand that a good chuck of your fellow humans have gone to economic hell for a decade or more.
I have a job, but wouldnt buy one. Not because of the economy, but because of the cost of the device. Make it netbook priced, and I'd pick up one tomorrow.
Intel's awful driver support for poulsbo certainly didn't help things any.
Yep. This is what happens when companies try to invent solutions for market demands that do not exist.
To the Microsoft Origami: Fail.
The only MID that caught my interest right now is the Smart Q5 because it runs under Ubuntu and the low price tag.
That is the saddest looking kitten I've ever seen.