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Loading ...UMPC, the Ultra Mobile Personal Computer. The design initially came out of Microsoft roughly about an year or so ago, and there were quite a few skeptics who raced to make claims that this would die the same death that the tablet PC had. Though the Tablet PC is quite an interesting form factor, it hasnt taken mass adoption. The UMPC very much seems like its going to beat all the odds and catch up on that adoption curve.
I am usually blamed for not giving enough numbers, so let me start with statistics. The number of laptops that were sold last year saw a massive jump of 85.6% from the year before compared to what is happening with other forms of PCs. For example the PC saw a growth of close to 12-16%. With that backdrop, 85% is quite a significant jump and one that has never happened for a technology so late in the life cycle.
So what does it all mean? Its a given that desktops are gonna head out and more and more laptops are taking up their space. Considering that you can get a laptop for Rs. 30,000, almost at the same price at what a decent desktop costs, I am not surprised at the adoption rate jump. But there might be more to it.
Type UMPC in google image search and hit enter. I am currently getting close to 1.5 million images and all different variations of the same specification. It’s certainly quite interesting to see how many companies are betting behind the adoption of this device.
There are a couple of reasons why I think this would work. For one, the Sony Vaio (the Miniature version) has been providing one with a similar form factor and it is quite well received. It comes at a hefty price tag and there are a lot of up-and-coming executives who are willing to pay something a bit less to join that ivy league. Pride and desire is very well served.
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