Linda Epstein has written an article that addresses the primary complaint about UMPCs- the price. The article takes a detailed look at the cost of manufacture for a UMPC device and compares that to a cheap Dell laptop (exploding battery no charge). Linda does a good job explaining why the cost to produce UMPCs is higher than the $500 price that has been bandied about since prior to the UMPC launch, and she also makes it clear why it will be a while before UMPC devices can be produced near that price point. It reinforces something I said in a recent MobileTechRoundup podcast- I’m pretty sure that if someone could make a UMPC-like device that could be sold for $500 that you wouldn’t want it for lack of performance.
-jk
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