That’s what I would have called the title of this CNET editorial piece that David Carnoy wrote, but instead he chose to be a little bolder: his title is "Why you’ll never buy an ultramobile PC". Fortunately for me, I bought two over the past year, so he’s not swaying me. The downside is: his article will garner a gazillion more views than my opinions here. David, any chance of me publishing an opposing viewpoint on your CNET site? Here’s a quick draft outline of my opposite opinion….
- First up, we need to understand the context of what a UMPC is for. If we’re going to compare it to cutting edge laptops that have matured over the past 20 years, then we’re not comparing apples to apples. There’s a time and a place for laptop and there’s one for a UMPC within some consumer’s usage patterns. Heck, desktops have their place too, which brings me to point number two.
- When the first battery powered laptops appeared, I’d say it’s a safe bet that we heard the same downsides, only this time, we compared the laptops to desktops. Poor battery life, heavy, clunky, etc….why would you need a laptop when you have a desktop? The same reason you could use a UMPC when you already have a laptop or desktop: it’s the right tool for the task in a given setting.
- Let’s look at the hardware choices used to determine that people will never buy UMPCs: the Sony Vaio UX and the Vulcan Flipstart. These are among the priciest of ultramobile PCs, so while it’s easy to question the value, why not look at the sub-$1000 offerings? A Samsung Q1B or TabletKiosk eo can be had for around $800 to $900. Oh and that HP Pavilion tx1000 mentioned as a preferred Tablet PC alternative to a UMPC isn’t quite the $1,150 quoted. Yes, that model does start at that price, but you can’t call it a Tablet PC if the more expensive touchscreen option isn’t included in the base.
- I definitely agree with the confusing names and platform approaches in this market segment. We’re still under a year since the first UMPCs arrived however, let’s give the segment time to mature. That’s what it’s doing, it’s maturing across different hardware and software platforms. Call me crazy, but when a market is maturing, I don’t think I’d every say "you’ll never buy a device in this market segment". Over time, I expect we’ll see positive change here; we already have in the first year alone with new chipsets that provide more efficient power use, LED backlit screens, keyboard integrations and even integrated WWAN features.
- An interesting question closed out the article: "So, why would I need a UMPC that costs three times as much, has worsebattery life, doesn’t offer that much more functionality (in terms ofcore needs), and still requires me to carry a cell phone for voicecalls?" The answer is going to vary by consumer because personal computing is just that: personal. Finding the right took for the task at hand is what it’s all about, so for David, a UMPC may never meet his needs and that’s OK. For someone who works while mobile more often than at a desk, a UMPC or ultra-portable laptop can address those needs. I’m not sure where the "costs three times as much" part comes into play. As stated, you can find a UMPC for around $1000, so would you have us believe that you’re using a $333 laptop for you primary computer? Doubtful, but more power to you if you can. See, that’s the difference right there: I only have the right and the knowledge to explain why a UMPC will or won’t work for me; I’d never be presumptuous enough to summarily dismiss a technology for everyone else but me.
- One general comment: UMPCs are not the "holy grail" of computing; that’s not my point here. There are times I use a desktop because a UMPC or laptop isn’t the right tool for an audio or video editing task. When I’m at my son’s little league game and want to jot down some ink notes, watch an iTunes video between innings or mindmap new post ideas, the UMPC will win hands down every time. Are there issues with UMPCs? Of course! Are the being addressed? I think so and I’m excited to watch and participate in the device maturity. Ink and touch as input is still part of this maturity as well; let’s give these complexities time to develop.
Thoughts?
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