Computerworld- why the FlipStart will fail
Computerworld has an interesting article, "Why the FlipStart will fail, or why History is important" that sounds like a bad review of the Vulcan FlipStart, but it isn’t. In fact, it’s not about the FlipStart at all rather a harsh look at the ultra-portable device category in general. The author points out that we’ve had small clamshell mobile devices (handheld PCs) for 20 years and he states his case that the form factor didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now.
While I don’t agree with everything he said there are some things that resonate with me. I recently made a brash statement that I don’t think there will ever be a mainstream mobile device because everybody wants something different. Mobile devices are very personal devices and as such there is never going to be any one device that appeals to the masses. I think this is what the Computerworld author was trying to get at when he mentions that we should remember the history of mobile devices. While the technology has certainly improved in the mobile devices of today like UMPCs and even the FlipStart, there are a lot of people who will never use a computer this small. That’s not a bad thing, rather the way it is. Me, I love the little guys. :)
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Yeap, I totally can relate. I still have (and use very frequently) my old Radio Shack PC-2 Pocket Computer from 1982 (25 years ago !!!), programmable in Basic and in my mind a gem that failed in the market of the time. The PC-2, as I am sure many more other models and brands, was a boutique item then, and I think the “little guys” you refer to (which I also happen to love) are not for everybody.
In fact, the most common comment I get from colleagues and co-workers whenever I pull out my P1610 now (but also my Sony U, Flybook, Libretto and Jornada 720 in recent years) is “how can you work on that thing so small?” or “I’d never be able to work with thst small screen and keyboard”. Or even better “you paid HOW MUCH for that? With that money, you could have bought a FULL SIZE laptop !!!”.
Like you say, the likes of the FlipStart are not for the masses.
HPC was not that big of success because of the OS and because that OS was embedded into a chip no giving any way to upgrade it. That was the major problem. The OS because even when it has Excel/Access/Word it was not powerful enough to do everything you could do in your Desktop machine. On top of that there were incompatibilities issues between the files created in the HPC and your files in your PC. Those were the main reason why the HPC platform did not work. So, the author of that article should read a little more about these issues before start writing.
From my experience the handhelds failed back then because they were too expensive. I remember when I bought my Jornada 720 people were amazed that it could virtualy replace a desktop. However, as soon as I mentioned the price their eyes went blank and they mumbled something about having a family to support. I was fortunate in that I preferred gadgets and still do to this day (hoping the other half doesn’t read this)! :)
The technology is changing so much that it is hard to see ancient history as being relevant, other than in spooking companies such as Apple that failed in this area before.
The most relevant recent developments have been the huge improvement in handwriting recognition in Vista (making Tablets much more useful), and the inability of Tablets to run the fastest new chips without draining batteries too fast. Such power/speed issues impair the ability of Tablets to be used optimally while docked and while mobile. without the ability to dock a Tablet and use it as a main computer, much of the convenience of Tablets is lost.
The long run solution is lower power consumption or better batteries. The intermediate solution will likely be tweaking power settings so Tablets offer high performance when docked and power saving while mobile. Some such tweaks are already available, but I doubt that most people are employing them properly to serve the docked + mobile model.
People should be realistic about the current challenges and the recent achievement, but focusing on ancient history ignores too many changes to be a useful guide.
You surprise me!!! You say that you dont think ultra mobile pc’s will ever go main stream?? Well then please step forward and join the people who told us that mobile phones would never be mainstream, or that pc’s would never become mainstream, oe even mp3′s would never go mainstream because ther are to complicated.
Are you sure that you have been carrying computers since they weighed 30 pounds or have you just been LUDITE ing them around.
2 big differences from back then and now:
1. full os
2. mobile connectivity
FWIW, remember the lil’ IBM PC110 from way back in ’96 (I think…)…
Take a look and you see’ll a lil’ FlipStart with DOS/W95 instead of XP… ;-)
Similar issues back then…great piece of hardware design for the time, but probably considered a novelty item by most then…
Guess this just shows how the more things change, the more they stay the same in a way….
As others have mentioned, main problem is that most people/reviewers don’t get what these little devices are all about….
Will have to agree with John of Norway – price is a big factor with the failure of these devices. I mean, a computer in your pocket is certainly a novelty, but with a price tag that large, the novelty gets replaced with criticisms very quickly. I think that’s where the UMPCs fit in IF the price goes down. Not too long ago, laptops were so prohibitively expensive that it was reserved for business men – now we have a ‘spare’ to serve as the home computer! The same can be said with mobile phones; point is, the convenience has to be worth the price, and specialist devices like the Flipstart will only fit the convenience to price ratio with businesses…for now.
ps. Having said that, the mainstream adoption of wireless internet and the internet itself could help this time around, because computers suddenly become a communications device, as well as a work tool/gaming device, which all helps to sell the convenience of these devices to the common man.
Ultimate Computing Device? We all now what it is. It smth like iPhone, but dockable as oqo to have full keyboard, optical drive and big 17-30 inches display. And enough power to run full OS.
1-2 years from now and we’ll get this device. May be sooner. And I think it will be introduced by Apple.