I ran across this blog entry entitled, Crazy UMPC People, and I had to ask myself, are we crazy?
Miles McCusker seems to be enjoying watching the theatrics going on in the UMPC blogosphere and I can't blame him. There are a lot of fascinating stories taking place as consumers' extremely high expections for their handheld devices collide with the manufacturers' creation of the ultra mobile device category. One recent example is the buzz surrounding the Wibrain B1 which has generated titles like "Only a mother could love this" and "hideous, yet strangely appealing."
I think that the UMPC story is capturing a lot of media attention because it represents an ideal device that sounds attainable, but so far device manufacturers haven't quite been able to really nail it yet. Manufacturers are churning out a wide variety of devices while trying to find the perfect balance in a myriad of design considerations: screen-size, form-factor, battery life, component costs, performance, wireless connectivity, software interface, hardware interfaces, price, and time to market.
Miles visualizes this intense process quite well:
There's a concept in air-conditioning and ventilation design that talks of 'hunting' or 'fan hunting'. It happens where the system as a whole is not in balance a vicious circle is set up where the fan speed will 'hunt' up and down, but never finding a steady resting place. I think the same thing is happening in the UMPC scene. Back and forth they go – 'productivity!', 'can't pocket', 'too big', 'screen too small', 'no productivity', 'not mobile', 'too big', 'hard to read', 'no keyboard', 'too heavy', 'lacking features'. Get the idea? Actually, I don't mind the fact they're stuck in that spin cycle, it's fun watching the whole thing go round and round.
When it comes down to the question of, are we crazy, I wouldn't call anyone in the UMPC community crazy. We have a number of very passionate bloggers who are helping out both consumers and manufacturers to get this device category right. When a lot of the mainstream media blew off ultra mobile devices when they launched last year, the UMPC community kept the dialogue going, communicating consumers' reactions to the devices and helping to spread the word about devices as they launched and became available.
I'm very proud of the UMPC community, they've done a tremendous job covering UMPC news and having the important public conversations that a new device category needs to have. Crazy? Try the iPhone people down the hall.
|
Visitor
Friday, 10 August 2007
Hi Bjorn, You know I use the word 'crazy' in an endearing fashion.
I should have started with "I'm crazy - but so are these people! But neither of us are truly crazy like the iphone sheep people are."
Anyway, glad it sparked a bit of inward thinking.
Till next time, Miles
Visitor
Friday, 10 August 2007
And of course... the very idea that a single product could be a Utopian device to all users!
Some like'em... some hate'em
Tim
Ony Steve Jobs has the hubris to imagine he can create a magical product that restores a sense of child-like wonder to EVERYONE's eyes. ;)
Erwos
Friday, 10 August 2007
Well, I'm not sure I'd go with crazy. I bought a hybrid tablet PC the other day (to replace my broken laptop) because I liked the UMPC idea, but none of the current UMPCs had what I needed in terms of hardware (a decent dock, DVI/HDMI, affordable). I'm really hopeful that in a couple of years, the UMPC concept will mature some more and we'll start seeing some truly outstanding machines, and I can make my next portable a UMPC.
Visitor
Sunday, 12 August 2007
I can't remember the last time I claimed to be normal; I gave that up so long ago. Still, I think I'm no crazier than the people who bought the first cars, rode in the first airplanes or cooked with the first microwave ovens. You know what? Manufacturers are still trying to improve on those products, and they've been at it a long time, not just a year or, at max, two.