“Microsoft is promoting an all-new PC design, but will anyone really care? Formerly code-named Origami, the new design is for an ultramobile computer, or UMPC. The idea is to have a device with much of the same power and features of a notebook or tablet computer in about half the size,” Troy Wolverton and Bill Snyder report for TheStreet.com. “The UMPC concept faces a number of obstacles to mass adoption — and to having a meaningful impact on Microsoft’s results — analysts say. Price, market perception, the lack of major vendor support at launch and the actual physical design of the device all could work against the concept, analysts say.”
Wolverton and Snyder report, “As sketched out by Microsoft, the typical UMPC device would have a seven-inch touch-sensitive screen, weigh less than two pounds, include a 30GB to 60GB hard drive and a built-in wireless networking antenna, and run on an Intel or Via mobile processor. Unlike PDAs running Microsoft software, the computer would run a full version of Microsoft Windows.
“When Microsoft CEO Bill Gates first started talking about a new class of portable PCs last year, his idea was to have devices on the market for $500 or less. But the first generation of Origami computers, which will go on the market beginning next month, are set to sell at significantly higher price points, from about $600 to $1,000,” Wolverton and Snyder report. “[So far] multipurpose devices have done nothing to stop the outsized popularity of Apple’s iPod, which is known first and foremost as a great music player.”
“Another possible impediment to adoption of the UMPC is the lack of vendor support. So far, only five vendors have publicly committed to releasing devices based on the new design, of which the only household name is Samsung. Notably absent from the list are any of the major PC vendors, such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Sony. H-P’s absence is particularly noteworthy, given that it was one of the first vendors of both Tablet PCs and PocketPCs… And some analysts say it could be a big hit — if it’s done right. Unfortunately, outside of Apple, the PC industry has a history of having good ideas undermined by their complexity, says Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the tech industry consulting firm Enderle Group. ‘This platform could be next big thing, depending on how good a job it does,’ he says. ‘If it were coming from Apple, that would be a lot more certain.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We haven’t seen an article about “Origami” that addresses this question: If Oragami UMPC’s run a full version of Microsoft Windows (Samsung’s device runs Windows XP Tablet PC Edition), then wouldn’t they be able to run Apple’s iTunes for Windows? This was first brought to our attention by feedback from MacDailyNews reader “Frobots” in response to our “Origami” article on Tuesday. If Origami devices are indeed capable of running iTunes, then they would be iTunes Store-compatible, capable of playing FairPlay DRM-protected audio and video files. Microsoft will have run an end-around play that bypasses the need to license Apple’s FairPlay DRM, the same DRM that Apple has so far declined to license to any company other than Motorola. Interestingly, it’d be Apple that would be providing the free application, iTunes, that would allow Microsoft’s partners making Origami devices to break open Apple’s iPod+iTunes symbiotic ecosystem. What if they get the Origami device prices down to or near iPod levels? What will Apple’s response be to devices that can do such things along with email, web surfing, business applications, games and more?
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Related articles:
Microsoft’s Origami Project revealed – March 07, 2006
It will run iTunes for Windoze
http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6047223.html?tag=ne.vid
Newton + iTMS video player. It would be a good combo, if only OS X ran on it instead of Windows.
Still, I expect this will be a really hard market to crack, it’s not only the Mac folks who are saying ‘Whaaaaa?’
Soon there will be Origamis with the size, form and price of iPods
If it runs a proper version of Windows, then it must surely run iTunes.
But of course it will be a heavy box, with a big screen, running a full Windows OS with all the power consumption that comes with doing that. It will play iTunes, but only for a short period. An iPod is very frugal with it’s power consumption because it uses a specialised CPU and goes to extraordinary lengths to switch off unnecessary stuff whenever possible.
There’s also the giveaway that Origami offers fast start-up for multimedia files. That presumably doesn’t involve Widows, but some other sort of OS – that won’t play iTunes.
Cool. Viruses to go.
Can’t wait to see Linux running on one of these. I give it less than a week.
This device is vapor ware until at leat late 2007 or 2008.
The proof of concept pieces are really ugly.
Windows XP is too big of a hog to be useful on it. Imagine the Vista OS with all its overhead, looks like another OS sku for MS.
I think the only reason we’re seeing anything at all right now is so they can try to gauge public reaction, here’s mine….
YAWN
Instead of trotting out these prototypes lets see the real deal.
It’s a nice concept when the technology catches up with it, sheesh I hope the done units are better looking than these escapees from a credit card swiping machine factory.
Hey, I think that this is NEAT. Others want Apple to license Fairplay. WHY? Microsoft can access iTunes on its “ultraportable”, so no legal issue. Just run the full version of MS.
Sounds like a legal response to me.
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As far as Vista not running iTunes, why not. MS can do its own version of Fairplay — AND — access iPods thru iTunes. Sounds like having your cake and eating it too. ???
N.
“RIAA” — I clicked on your link because it was the NY Times. You’ve completely misinterpreted the article. Some music labels are restricting advance sales of single tracks, fearing they cut into CD sales. It says nothing about eliminating sales of the digital tracks once the CD is out. That would be a stupid move, considering that iTMS is now one of the top five music retailers.
2 lb. device on a lanyard. I’d like to see a silhouette dancer ad with one of those!
iTMS would still make money. If it gets too similar to an ipod I’m sure there’s a patent (right, apple?) that would stop them from this. hopefully.
Have you noticed the size and weight of this thing? Why would anyone want to carry it around as a portable Music player? I do not see it as a threat to the iPod.
An interseting concern, but how in the heck am I supposed to stick that thing in my pocket. I saw a news report where the reporter was talking to on of MS’s “partners.” He said that an unexpected market for origami popped up during market testing was soccer moms. I can see it now. Some soccer mom trying to pull her oversized SUV out of her grocery store parking spot, steering with her elbows while she wrestles with her bigger than a blackberry but smaller than a laptop device just to send an IM to her kids telling them that she is running late to pick them up from soccer practice. First her windows running Origami POS will crash and then she’ll crach her SUV into some poor old lady trying to push her cart to her car. Sometimes I REALLY think we are going in the wrong direction with technology.
MDN magic word: greater
Think about the greater good. Stop portable technology abuse.
Replace a laptop, eh? You try reading a 1024 pixel-wide webpage on a 7-in screen.
Origami is just dead-ugly. Why bother to have such a clunky thing when you can have an iBook that is a little bigger and heavier but looks better, has a better battery, keyboard, the list goes on…
Untill they can get flexable screens working and cheep with at least 3 year life. It just wont fly. PDA / Smart Phones decent size but horrble screen. Tablet decent screen size but too pricey and unweeding. This is a marriage of all of the bad parts and not much of the good ones.
If they could have a page size display that rolls up or folds to fit a pocket. Bat live of 8+ hours and flash memory of 20 to 40 gb. OS that is more intergrated than the current MS junk of pices flying in formation but not as a unit. It wont fly.
Just saw a PDA/Phone/Camera/Video Recorder. Small screen but none of the seperate parts fit well.
the iTunes interface is designed to run on large screens. Can you imagine it on a small device like this? I don’t think so.
Yeah, I want to swap my compact very sexy, very reliable, very beautiful and functional iPod for an MS iSlab that has a battery life of 15mins and is the size of a ream of paper!!!!!
iPoders will still have the minimal white earbuds and the iSlab crew, with itunes on board will have a full screen chest display hanging from a silver link neck chain, just to show how cool they are. A sort of 21st century version of the Ghetto blaster, modern day, off the sholder look….! yukkkkkkk.
Give us all a break. Stop this rubbish. MS iSlab is a long way off and by the time it makes the shelves of our fav stores iPod will be lightyears ahead of where it is already ahead of MS vapourware and to really make it bad juju, the stupid thing will run Windhoes…. Shit, I can’t wait for that one…
Leo
Samsung´s version….due out in April.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/09/samsungs-q1-ultramobile-pc/#comments
http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=technology&storyID=nN09168966
Small is expensive.
Touch screen is expensive.
Enough sauce to run XP/Vista is expensive.
This thing will NOT be cheap.
Elephant? Yeah, white elephant!
Apple may have a better product, therefore a better chance of success. However, I am not too sure about the idea itself. There are simply too many solutions for one single problem, mobile computing. Among them are Blackberry, and whole bunch of other things, it is too confusing.
“Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the tech industry consulting firm Enderle Group.” Other members amoung his group are his wife, his dog and his wang. Rob’s wang thinks Paris Hilton rocks!!!
iTunes is a browser, a database, a music player, a video and audio sub system, a CD and DVD burning program, have I left anything out? As such it is a very big program when it comes to hard disc space and CPU cycles.
A resource hog if you will. It’s like you are running several programs at once when you are running iTunes + Quicktime. Could that piss ant little chip they are going to use run iTunes + Quicktime + XP all at the same time? Remember, XP also includes a browser, a database, a music player, a video and audio sub system, a CD and DVD burning program, have I left anything out?
I don’t think there would be the horse power or the hard disc space for iTunes+Quicktime and XP on the same ugly, expensive, underpowered little device.
Who will but it if it doesn’t use iTunes?
Reminds me of my Newton..
Typical MSFT – a decade late.
Itunes is possible. Isn’t there a version that runs on motorola’s cell phones?
One of the issues is that there is a niche for such a product, but is there enough of a niche? can apple go into it, do something different, and make money? unlike the makers of infamous “iPod Killers”, apple wouldn’t go in as an also-ran.