Microsoft practices the art of vapor-folding with ‘Origami’

“Thus far Microsoft has declined to comment on the aim of the Origami project. Instead it has used its http://www.origamiproject.com Web site to tease curious viewers. The site, however, appears to tip the company’s hand slightly by proclaiming ‘Origami Project: the Mobile PC running Windows XP’ inside the HTML source code of one page,” Mary Jo Foley and John G. Spooner report for PC Magazine. “The new devices will be smaller than the smallest of the slate or convertible-style Tablet PCs that are available today. But they will be bigger than PocketPCs and smart phones and are unlikely to ship with keyboards. They are instead being designed with touch and a stylus as the preferred input mechanisms, sources familiar with the matter said.”

“Despite the fact that many others have failed at attempting to create small computers that run full versions of Windows, Microsoft appears to believe it can win thanks to improvements in processors and screens as well as its own internal efforts,” Foley and Spooner report.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Yawn. Oh, sorry, are we supposed to be excited about a Windows-based Apple Newton clone from Microsoft “partners” and some teaser website prominently featuring a look that’s strikingly reminiscent of the default Mac OS X Desktop background? Aren’t there enough portable BSOD’s already?

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Related article:
Microsoft acknowledges handheld PC-like portable ‘Origami’ device – February 28, 2006

46 Comments

  1. Oh goodie. Microsoft developing a crappy hardware platform to go with their crappy OS. Does anyone honestly believe they can pull this off? Based on their track record, it does not seem possible.

    Advertising Slogan: “Origami, 50,000 viruses to go…”

  2. I do like the idea, frankly, but I bet its implementation is premature. M$ has yet to demonstrate new technology that works without a hitch. In the long run, this may take off, but even then, it’s only following the smaller is better paradigm.

    What will the next really revolutionary thing be? My bet is it’s probably not this.

  3. At least Microsoft is still innovating. What has Apple given us except a bunch of new malware packages and an over-priced stereo? It is sad that Apple is nothing more than an expensive intel box running a proprietary operating system that has no software written for it. What good is a computer if there are no programs to run on it?

    There are vertical market applications in Windows that have never been dreamt of in OSX. There isn’t a company on the planet that would purchase super inflation priced computers that run no software to those of fast, efficient, and safe Windows XP.

  4. This Origami thing could possibly make the Apple iPod Leather Case announcement interesting!

    The PC world bafffles me at times. Apple does too, but overall what the PC worlds considers innovation is at minimum a year old.

  5. Tablet PCs bombed.

    Now they will be smaller and more cramped! BUT not small enough to be easily portable!

    How can MS lose? ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

  6. I am a Mac user and in fact i have two in my room, I love them to death. But the concept of a nice small tablet, whoever the manufacture, i am uber stoked about. I just wish taht apple came with one first…

  7. Mac Realist: At least Microsoft is still innovating.

    Wow. The biggest trollbomb I’d seen dropped in a while. This is more likely another attempt to APPEAR innovative by making an announcement /creating a website without an actual product. Hasn’t anyone noticed that with all the announcements they’ve made (the music store with MTV, MS live, Vista, etc), they seem to be a little thin on product? You’ve got the Xbox, sure, but beyond that I can’t really see MS as innovative in computing right now. They most likely saw some patent announcements (look for the news on this site) that detail a whole new way to interface with data and media and reacted to it.

    It’s called spin control.

  8. Loru

    apple thought of the concept over a decade ago.

    It was called the Knowledge Navigator, but was grossly ahead of its time and more a fantasy conception than anything else.

    But more realistically Apple developed the NEWTON, which was basically the first ever PDA. Needless to say, it failed. (see my above post)

  9. I hope that MS bets the farm on this new “innovation”. It would be a direct reflection of their forward thinking. So forward in fact maybe it could lift the image of a bad operating system. You know also if frogs had wings, they wouldn’t have to worry about bumping their ass when they jumped.

  10. The teaser site presents what appears to be the symbol for mind-mapping software, which has been in development by several companies for 3 years or so, and a few products have already been made available.

    The mind-mapping (or concept-mapping) framework would make an awesome file organizer if it were part of an OS, if only someone would just do it. Is that what Microsuck is up to??

    In essence, a mind map visually connects things or ideas (represented by labels, sometimes within big shapes like dots) with each other through relationships represented by lines. When you click on something it becomes the new focus of the diagram and everything slides over to show you all the connections of that thing.

    One use of the technology, albeit a very limited one, can be seen at visualthesaurus.com.

  11. I heard from Bill Gates himself, Origami is so innovative, so far sighted, so sophisticated, so amazing, so advanced, and so technical that it will only run Longhorn, not puny Vista version #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, or #6.

    So there!

  12. Microsoft does try new things. I’ll give Mac Realist that much. But….

    1. some of the new things are way too ahead of its time because the needed technology is not really ready, or is too costly. So MS cuts corners, and not thinking about real mainstream user scenarios, winds up with a troublesome product. For example, Windows Media Center.

    2. some of the new things are rushed out and not fully developed in MS’ software, especially the UI. Again, it’s because MS is not thinking about real mainstream user scenarios. For example, the sync ability of both side of the Windows software for MP3 players.

    3. some of the new things are just bad copies of other people’s new things.

    Just because you can do some things today doesn’t mean you should do them today.

  13. I will be getting one if it is all its promised to be. I have been waiting for Apple to do something like this but so far nothing from them. But, I will wait until people have it in their hands before I break the bank on it, it better be cheaper then a notebook!

    Cheers

  14. Jump:

    You are correct, in a sense. Micosoft; however, has “invented” the PDA. In case you are confused, the Microsoft PDA is what the PDA was meant to be all along; it just took Microsoft several years to develop the quintessential PDA, the PDA to make all other PDA’s obsolete by comparison, you see. If you doubt me, just ask Bill Gates.

  15. “apple thought of the concept over a decade ago.

    And Alan Kay – The undisputible TRUE visionary genius from PARC thought of that concept in late 1971.

    PARC also had invented the mouse by ’69-70 as well.

  16. The PC world bafffles me at times. Apple does too, but overall what the PC worlds considers innovation is at minimum a year old.

    Have you been living under a rock for the past decade? The biggest advances in computing hardware came not from Apple, but the many different hardware manufacturers that compete with each other constantly in the PC world. Or are you that dumb do just believe what your Apple blinders allow you to see?

  17. Oh, Sammy, careful what you say on this site along those lines. Whether you correct your spelling or not, there are some people who might actually want you to prove those claims, or you’ll get beat down faster than a gopher at a… oops – wait a minute – you’ll get beat down whether you try to prove it or not on this site.

    I dare you to try. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smirk” style=”border:0;” />

  18. Don’t worry Ceasar, I’ve already proven my case here countless times with facts. Do an MDN search with “Sammy”. It doesn’t take much to show how tech giants like AMD, Nvidia, etc… helped PC hardware maul Apple over the years in innovation and performance. For quite a long time the Apple segment was quiet with shame as dual core AMD desktops with PCI-xpress graphics cards blew away their Apple AGP based single core variants.

  19. It’s not all about the hardware Sam ol’ boy.

    It’s always been about the whole widget, soft & hard together.

    Heh, I said “hard”

    You put a fast motor in a crappy auto, the drive still sucks.

    MDN word is “better”

    Better stop thinking of hard & soft…

  20. So Microsoft’s latest tablet is vapourware because they talk about it before releasing it? All they are doing is copying the same technique from Apple. It is called marketing when Apple does it, Vapourware when Microsoft does it. Double standards or what?

  21. Hey, Arse Licker…

    Last summer, Apple said it would release Intel-based Macs by the second quarter of 2006; then the Intel Mac mini came out last Tuesday. Microsoft has been talking about Longhorn/Vista for more than a year now, and there’s still no sign of a release date.

    The difference? Apple follows through, whereas Microsoft only follows.

    Arse Licker, it must suck to be as stupid and myopic as you.

    And it’s spelled ASS, dumbass.

  22. “Not Sammy”

    I don’t think you really know what you’re talking about. To dismiss the hardware side is to totally dismiss the obvious innovations brought forward by AMD (dual core, integrated memory controller, etc…) and others, and that dismissal itself would only be a weak argument put forth by an obvious zealot blinded by brand loyalty. Good thing the rest of the world knows better. Prior to the dual core G5 debut, AMD Quad Opteron workstations embarassed the best Apple offered for nearly a year, and I mean embarrassed. Even after the quad G5 debut, AMD’s best quad Opteron systems routinely put a hurt on Apple’s quads, but don’t take my word for it:
    http://www.creativemac.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=36312

    And if you really want to bring the operating system aspect into it, OSX is woefully handicapped compared to Windows 64 in terms of 64-bit computing, and that is a FACT not a subjective opinion.

  23. Hey Mac Yak
    When you learn that America didn’t invent the English language then we might take you a little more seriously. I can spell arse and I know a backward arse when he posts pro-Apple crap like yours. “stupid and myopic” sums your piece of projection out perfectly.
    I am eagerly awaiting Apple to deliver its super-soaraway world processing program.
    Copeland and Taligent its crack at running an operating system.
    How late was Apple with its OS X which is now turning out so buggy that it takes a hacker only half an hour turn over.

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