the air

Earlier this spring, Microsoft debuted an ambitious initiative that they hoped would revolutionize the computing market. Initially it was code-named Origami, but it eventually came to be known as UMPC (ultra-mobile personal computing). UMPC’s are basically, in my view, an evolutionary step of tablet PC’s. UMPC’s are like tablets, but they lack the keyboard and are much smaller. Regardless of how ambitious Microsoft’s vision was, the entire fiasco was met with staunch criticism as the debut devices were overpriced and underpowered.

C|Net has an excellent article about the second generation of Origami devices that will be debuting at CES in January 2007. The new devices have been codenamed Vistagmi since they support Windows Vista. These new devices will offer a much more varied approach to UMPC such as models with keyboards and different styles.

I think UMPC’s are slightly ahead of their times. As the C|Net article points out, the two biggest factors impeding the success of these devices are battery power and price. UMPC battery life must be able to sustain the device for close to 8 hours or more in order to truly function as a device for the business professional. In addition, the price tag that these devices command is comparable to laptops and many mid-range desktops. Once these two issues are worked out, I can see UMPC quickly supplanting Tablet PC’s and actually becoming more useful and practical for business professionals and consumers.

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