I recently watched ThoughtFix's response to the iPod Touch announcement and it got me thinking. Is the iPod Touch a UMPC? My initial reaction is a most definite no. It's not that I don't want Apple to enter the UMPC marketplace, it's that there really are quite a few reasons why the iPod Touch doesn't fit in with the rest of the UMPCs. And for the record I don't think the Nokia N800 is a UMPC either.

While there are no industry standards for what a UMPC is, I have my own thoughts on what makes a device a UMPC. The number one definition, and this is the main reason why the iPod Touch fails, is that a UMPC is a PC. You don't have to run windows to be a PC, as much as both Apple and Microsoft would like you to believe. I personally think that Linux, MacOS, and Windows are all PC operating systems. The operating system is important because it determines what software will run on your PC. PC's by definition will run all kinds of software, from spreadsheets and video players to games and custom written data gathering applications.

Developers writing PC applications are able to create their programs without having to buy a developers kit from the device manufacturer. They don't have to pay a license to publish a piece of software or give part of their revenue to the device designer. Take the Wii for example, if you want to create software for the Wii (yes, games are software) you have to buy a developer kit from Nintendo and a portion of the money you earn from selling your software would go to Nintendo. Apple doesn't even allow you to write software for their iPod Touch and if you tried to sell software for it, you'd most likely find yourself at the business end of a litigation suit. UMPCs on the other hand, have the same developer platform responsible for the millions of software applications that we enjoy on our PCs today.

Another big difference between the iPod Touch and UMPCs is peripheral support. The iPod Touch supports audio out, wi-fi, and a docking station that lets you access the internal storage of the device via USB or firewire. There are so many things that you can't do from the iPod Touch: print, attach a mouse, keyboard, monitor, or attach storage devices like a DVD-R, flash disk or external storage. With a UMPC all of those things are possible, just like on any other PC.

The fact that there's been a lot of comparisons to the UMPC platform is a good sign that UMPCs have really established themselves in the public consciousness. In the end, I hope that most people can clearly see that the iPod Touch and UMPCs are two entirely different devices. Sure there maybe some features that either device could use from the other (multi-touch for UMPCs please!) but I'm glad to see that no one has come out saying that the iPod Touch is what UMPCs should have been or that the iPod Touch is the best UMPC available as that really demeans the UMPC platform.

In the end, it all comes down to one question: Will I be buying an iPod Touch? Definitely not, I have an OQO model 02, what would I want an iPod Touch for?

Visitor

Friday, 07 September 2007

imo, umpcs should be defined as a portable pc with 7" or less screen and an x86 cpu

Visitor

Sunday, 09 September 2007

So...who's saying the iPod touch IS a UMPC?

UMPCPortal added it to their database for the purposes of comparison, but neither Apple nor the mass media has claimed that the iPod touch is a UMPC. It falls into the "web tablet" class of the Nokia N800 and the Archos 605.

Visitor

Sunday, 09 September 2007

Great article Bjorn, as usual you're very accurate. Keep up the good work and I'll keep referencing your site on mine [gr8tfate.com]

To the other visitors:

So many sites are mentioning the MIDs/PDAs [Mobile Internet Device/Personal Data Assistant] now because it's a new market. It's rather funny to see all the new names trying to describe different small internet devices.

iPod Touch is not a "web tablet". Look up tablet in dictionary.com, tablets are much larger in size, giving it the wrong name for the device. The iPod Touch is actually a PDA.

Visitor

Monday, 10 September 2007

Really? Would you consider the N800 a web tablet? Because, um, the rest of the world does.

"web tablet" /= "tablet PC"