Watchout iPod Touch! here comes UMPC 2.0

Take a look at this video: Great UMPC Concept Device with some love from Intel. Lot of these are powered by Ubuntu's UMPC version..



Here is yet another UMPC device from BenQ :



can Intel's support for Linux for the MID Platform help Linux compete with iPod Touch and MS-Windows.. I hope there is some support for Java in all these platforms.

ASUS Eee PC - First Mass Market Linux Device?

The ASUS custom linux for its Eee PC is the first GUI that has impressed me as very professional quality. While the secret of this $199-$200 laptop might its smaller screen, it has all the ingredients to take the PC platform to the next level. OLPC and Eee PC have the potential to become the PC standard for the future, at least in the 3rd world countries.

Intel's MID UMPCs : Hello Linux

Before the ink has dried from my previous post, comes this surprising announcement from Intel that it is going to launch its own Linux powered mobile Internet enabled UMPCs.


I think that this announcement is as monumental as Dell's announcement of its intention to adopt Desktop Linux. As discussed in my earlier post, Linux could very well ride on UMPCs to gain significant market share from Microsoft. With Intel's support, Desktop Linux should aspire for more. Go Linux, Go.

UMPC and the future of Desktop Linux

Linux has been fighting an uphill battle with Microsoft for the Desktop. Dell's Linux Desktop could be a major success story of Desktop Linux. However, there is one key factor that is being ignored - UMPC.

With UMPC just emerging, it is the space were the next OS war would to be fought. Apple's own UMPC - iPhone has already got the Geek's mindshare. with Nokia, Samsung, As Motorola and all other device manufacturers are going to fight out for this market, UMPC margins are going to be very less and Microsoft's Tax could be a big burden for its adopters. So Linux should aspire to garner atleast 30% of the market along with Apple and Microsoft .

The UMPC consumers are be open to adopt new user-interfaces and concepts and most of these concepts would be extended back to the Desktop PCs as well. This can be observed from this concept video from Intel.



If this is true, a 30% marketshare in UMPC then could pave way for wider adoption of Desktop Linux as well.

From an alternate point of view, UMPC could also stiffle Desktop Linux because Linux is already many years behind (atleast Apple) in providing newer user experiences such as shown in the above video. As iPod success provided growth for OS-X, iPhone might multiply that effect by many factors in favor of Leopard because features such multi-touch could be extended from Leopard iPhone version to Leopard Desktop version.

Would UMPC make or break desktop Linux?