MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

Bob Russell · 08-26-2006, 01:31 PM

I've been thinking. Believe it or not, that does happen every now and then! And the inspiration came from a great post over at JkOnTheRun by Kevin Tofel. He addresses the low rating given to a UMPC device by the Sydney Morning Herald. Like most of the mainstream press, the Sydney Press just doen't get it.

As a big fan of UMPCs, I also think it's appauling the way the mainstream media seems to be so unwilling to understand that this is a new class of device, and that it can't be compared to a laptop, and that it's just plain neat. But the mainstream press isn't the problem. We techies love it because it's really neat. It gives us a small form factor, but with a screen big enough to do "real things." And it has a tablet pc interface at a great price (relative to the cost of tablet PCs).

How about business people and the general public? This is an expensive device. And it will still be expensive when it gets down to the target price range of about $500. It's not the sort of thing many people will leave laying around in the living room to browse the web occassionally. It's too expensive, it needs to be maintained with the latest software patches, and it has to keep getting recharged. You have to wait to boot it up because it's Windows-based. And it's one more thing that will be old technology in a year or two if you don't drop it and break it first!

It's no wonder that the mainstream press isn't really high on the device. They are looking at the average user and what the entire owning experience would be like for them. A laptop has all those same issues, but there are very compelling reasons to have one. They can do the same things they can do on the well-understood and much-used desktop PC, but they have the ability to do it anywhere. MS office, email, design work, writing, etc. The reasons to use a PC are already well-known and entrenched, and it's simple to understand the benefit of a laptop - you can use it anywhere. So even though laptops are more expensive and have to be maintained and accessorized, people still have a strong reason to buy one. Mobility, plain and simple.

What about the UMPC? Let's take a look at what should be the ultimate and most convincing argument for a UMPC's relevance and worthiness - Microsoft's own description of the device and why you want one.

The overview says "With small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs, you can connect and communicate, accomplish any task anywhere and at any time, and be entertained and informed wherever life takes you." But doesn't that sound like it's covered by a smartphone and a laptop? No motivation there.

If I was marketing for Microsoft, I'd remind people of how ubiquitous and useful the paper planners from Franklin and Day Planner. How about taking that portability, usefulness, ease of use to the n-th degree, and top it all off by giving it the ability to do what a laptop can do for you? At least people can relate that way to something they know about. All of a sudden it's useful in a way they can grab hold of in their minds, even if they don't have a grip on what it all means yet.

Let's look at what else Microsoft has to say if the reader really wants to dig into the details and hasn't already decided that the device is worthless.

Now we're getting into the sort of usage scenarios talked about by Kevin Tofel. Communicate: Wifi at the airport, connect through a Bluetooth phone, e-mail and IM, photo sharing before the vacation is even over. Now we're talking! That sounds pretty cool doesn't it? But somehow, I think that even that looks abstract on the web page if you aren't a techie.

Next up is Accomplish Tasks: Do anything your desktop or laptop can do in Windows, have a trip navigation system, and don't worry about the input because there are lots of ways to use various forms of real and virtual keyboards or by writing on the screen. Again, a nice list that nobody will ever see.

Getting into multimedia, they move on to View/Listen/Play: Sync all your favorite music, photos and TV shows, buy music and movies for immediate download, check news and sports scores, and choose from a huge selection of Windows-compatible games, but have the added advantage of being able to use a stylus for simpler control.

The rest is just basic info that needs to be described about the SW/HW platform. But isn't this the sort of information that should be very briefly provided to the press? I wonder if it is, and how it's presented and packaged. If they did it similar to what I've written above (but filled out and prettied up), then I think people might start to have some Eureka! experiences about how cool this could be. And they might then start to be more open to things like mind mapping software and One Note software.

The public and the mainstream media don't understand the UMPC and keep comparing it in the wrong way to laptops (saying it's too underpowered, the screen too small and input is hard). But maybe the problem is with Microsoft and UMPC sellers. With the rollout of a new class of device, doesn't the burden fall on them to help us understand why it's relevant? They clearly haven't done that very well.... yet. Instead they seem to fall into the failed pda marketing approach of a long list of what it can do, or even worse maybe no list! Techies love that. Normal people don't!

Most people will cringe at spending over $1000 for a high-tech gadget that either looks like a bad laptop or a high-powered electronic pad of paper. Yeah, I know it does more, but Archos makes a better PMP, and iPod is a better mp3 player, etc etc. We have to get past all the little "cool things" people might want to do on it, and find the practical benefit by characterizing it in a way that they can relate to. Or at least something that UMPC can do that other kinds of devices can't. Primarily that means it's more portable than a laptop, and yet it can do everything a laptop can. Yes, the input might not be as easy if you don't have a keyboard attached, but screen input is not meant to be for the novel writer, and keyboards are available. And will eventually be integrated.

People didn't understand why a mouse is useful. But it caught on pretty well eventually. In fact, back in the early '90s I was working heavily with spreadsheets and put in a request for a mouse to easy the navigation. It went all the way up to the CIO and he rejected it, saying that it would not be approved unless I could find research that proved it improved productivity. I guess he wanted to stop it right there, and prevent an onslought of requests from all those Win 3.1 users that want all the latest gadgets. Well, I went out and bought one myself, and the gadgets won out in the end, didn't they!? Maybe touchscreens will become widely popular also. It's too early to tell, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised because it doesn't need to add too much to the cost and with the right future software support and applications it can be very enabling.

So for UMPC, and the general computer-competent public, there is still a big open question that needs to be answered -- "What's the point of a UMPC?" As I have showed above, Microsoft has already done much of the thinking about the reasons for a UMPC. But it hasn't been communicated effectively to the press and the public. That's why I think the media has such a problem reviewing it. There's some truth in what they say based on their perspective.

So why do we want a UMPC? Someone needs to tell us in a way that makes sense. Who's going to step up to the plate and get the message out?

08-26-2006, 01:31 PM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Why will people want UMPCs? I've been thinking. Believe it or not, that does happen every now and then! And the inspiration came from a great post over at JkOnTheRun by Kevin Tofel. He addresses the low rating given to a UMPC device by the Sydney Morning Herald. Like most of the mainstream press, the Sydney Press just doen't get it. As a big fan of UMPCs, I also think it's appauling the way the mainstream media seems to be so unwilling to understand that this is a new class of device, and that it can't be compared to a laptop, and that it's just plain neat. But the mainstream press isn't the problem. We techies love it because it's really neat. It gives us a small form factor, but with a screen big enough to do "real things." And it has a tablet pc interface at a great price (relative to the cost of tablet PCs). How about business people and the general public? This is an expensive device. And it will still be expensive when it gets down to the target price range of about $500. It's not the sort of thing many people will leave laying around in the living room to browse the web occassionally. It's too expensive, it needs to be maintained with the latest software patches, and it has to keep getting recharged. You have to wait to boot it up because it's Windows-based. And it's one more thing that will be old technology in a year or two if you don't drop it and break it first! It's no wonder that the mainstream press isn't really high on the device. They are looking at the average user and what the entire owning experience would be like for them. A laptop has all those same issues, but there are very compelling reasons to have one. They can do the same things they can do on the well-understood and much-used desktop PC, but they have the ability to do it anywhere. MS office, email, design work, writing, etc. The reasons to use a PC are already well-known and entrenched, and it's simple to understand the benefit of a laptop - you can use it anywhere. So even though laptops are more expensive and have to be maintained and accessorized, people still have a strong reason to buy one. Mobility, plain and simple. What about the UMPC? Let's take a look at what should be the ultimate and most convincing argument for a UMPC's relevance and worthiness - Microsoft's own description of the device and why you want one. The overview says "With small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs, you can connect and communicate, accomplish any task anywhere and at any time, and be entertained and informed wherever life takes you." But doesn't that sound like it's covered by a smartphone and a laptop? No motivation there. If I was marketing for Microsoft, I'd remind people of how ubiquitous and useful the paper planners from Franklin and Day Planner. How about taking that portability, usefulness, ease of use to the n-th degree, and top it all off by giving it the ability to do what a laptop can do for you? At least people can relate that way to something they know about. All of a sudden it's useful in a way they can grab hold of in their minds, even if they don't have a grip on what it all means yet. Let's look at what else Microsoft has to say if the reader really wants to dig into the details and hasn't already decided that the device is worthless. Now we're getting into the sort of usage scenarios talked about by Kevin Tofel. Communicate: Wifi at the airport, connect through a Bluetooth phone, e-mail and IM, photo sharing before the vacation is even over. Now we're talking! That sounds pretty cool doesn't it? But somehow, I think that even that looks abstract on the web page if you aren't a techie. Next up is Accomplish Tasks: Do anything your desktop or laptop can do in Windows, have a trip navigation system, and don't worry about the input because there are lots of ways to use various forms of real and virtual keyboards or by writing on the screen. Again, a nice list that nobody will ever see. Getting into multimedia, they move on to View/Listen/Play: Sync all your favorite music, photos and TV shows, buy music and movies for immediate download, check news and sports scores, and choose from a huge selection of Windows-compatible games, but have the added advantage of being able to use a stylus for simpler control. The rest is just basic info that needs to be described about the SW/HW platform. But isn't this the sort of information that should be very briefly provided to the press? I wonder if it is, and how it's presented and packaged. If they did it similar to what I've written above (but filled out and prettied up), then I think people might start to have some Eureka! experiences about how cool this could be. And they might then start to be more open to things like mind mapping software and One Note software. The public and the mainstream media don't understand the UMPC and keep comparing it in the wrong way to laptops (saying it's too underpowered, the screen too small and input is hard). But maybe the problem is with Microsoft and UMPC sellers. With the rollout of a new class of device, doesn't the burden fall on them to help us understand why it's relevant? They clearly haven't done that very well.... yet. Instead they seem to fall into the failed pda marketing approach of a long list of what it can do, or even worse maybe no list! Techies love that. Normal people don't! Most people will cringe at spending over $1000 for a high-tech gadget that either looks like a bad laptop or a high-powered electronic pad of paper. Yeah, I know it does more, but Archos makes a better PMP, and iPod is a better mp3 player, etc etc. We have to get past all the little "cool things" people might want to do on it, and find the practical benefit by characterizing it in a way that they can relate to. Or at least something that UMPC can do that other kinds of devices can't. Primarily that means it's more portable than a laptop, and yet it can do everything a laptop can. Yes, the input might not be as easy if you don't have a keyboard attached, but screen input is not meant to be for the novel writer, and keyboards are available. And will eventually be integrated. People didn't understand why a mouse is useful. But it caught on pretty well eventually. In fact, back in the early '90s I was working heavily with spreadsheets and put in a request for a mouse to easy the navigation. It went all the way up to the CIO and he rejected it, saying that it would not be approved unless I could find research that proved it improved productivity. I guess he wanted to stop it right there, and prevent an onslought of requests from all those Win 3.1 users that want all the latest gadgets. Well, I went out and bought one myself, and the gadgets won out in the end, didn't they!? Maybe touchscreens will become widely popular also. It's too early to tell, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised because it doesn't need to add too much to the cost and with the right future software support and applications it can be very enabling. So for UMPC, and the general computer-competent public, there is still a big open question that needs to be answered -- "What's the point of a UMPC?" As I have showed above, Microsoft has already done much of the thinking about the reasons for a UMPC. But it hasn't been communicated effectively to the press and the public. That's why I think the media has such a problem reviewing it. There's some truth in what they say based on their perspective. So why do we want a UMPC? Someone needs to tell us in a way that makes sense. Who's going to step up to the plate and get the message out?