“Now that the mystery is finally resolved, and we’ve seen the Origami from a number of companies at CeBIT 2006, it’s about time we face reality. The Origami needs no introduction, so I’ll get right to the point. Just like the Tablet PC, Microsoft’s Origami doesn’t stand a chance as a mass market device, and for good many reasons. Let’s break them down, shall we.”
MS couldn’t care less if Origami dies. They have the hottest selling mobile phones, pocketpcs, desktops, servers, office suites, development tools, games, consoles.
I think the hardware guys have more invested. MS just tweaks XP and voila they have a new product.
Hottest selling phones?? Sure, there are few models out, total failure. Just Nokia itself takes like 30%+ market and they don’t use any MS software. Then there are Siemens, SE, Motorola, they all support Symbian in one way or another. Also PocketPC market is as good as dead since Microsoft fails to provide any decent upgrade to the OS (last one is from 2005 and it’s almost no different from version 2003 or even 2001). Don’t even start about console market, while xbox is good, the only way to succeed there is to succeed in Japan..and with xbox360 they failed there also. They simply think they are the best and a synonym for computer industry…they are such snobs they think everything with MS label on it is gold and people will buy it. Not anymore, this product is another failure (especialy with $990 price!!, it’s huge and ugly and support with most probably suck), my bet is it’ll go down same way PocketPCs did and that buttugly SPOT watch did (there is no way in hell I’m wearing that gigantic crap on my wrist). Microsoft, while some of your products might be good (for some), you can’t get to all markets. Simple as that.
Edited 2006-03-20 18:20
I’d like to second that: MS phones are *completely unknown* in Italy. It would even be difficult to find them in stores.
So called smartphones sell very (very) few units, and MS smartphones sell even less.
Agreed too.
I tried MS Media Center PC. It’s a total crap. And it’s expensive, too. MSMobile phones are nowhere to be seen (who wants a crashing OS on a phone?). On the other side linux is well accepted in some mass-market phones, although not as platform but as baseline system (Motorola V3 is a linux phone e.g.). Symbian is clearly the most popular smartphone platform (yet, mid-range phones don’t have it).
Big electronics players simply don’t care about Microsoft, if they must choose between MS lockin and linux or their own symbian, they will know the right path.
Microsoft simply doesn’t have a right approach at consumer market, with xbox and x360 as rightful exception (and even they are too closed, PS3 will probably be a system with installable operating systems (and with preinstalled linux) for gods sake).
“They have the hottest selling mobile phones”
Nope.
“pocketpcs”
Nope.
“servers”
Nope.
“development tools”
Nope.
“games”
Nope.
“consoles”
Nope
Actually, they probably have the “hottest selling” development tools.
But only because Xcode (on MacOS X), Eclipse, and things like KDevelop are free to anyone who wants to download them.
– chrish
Actually, they probably have the “hottest selling” development tools.
But only because Xcode (on MacOS X), Eclipse, and things like KDe are free to anyone who wants to download them.
No, because Visual Studio is by far the best development environment for any serious programming. Let’s try to be a little honest here.
Edited 2006-03-21 22:32
For an alternative device, check out the Nokia 770.
http://europe.nokia.com/nokia/0,,75023,00.html
Fry’s Electronics was recently advertising this product for $379.00.
Unfortuantely, the battery life is still a luckluster 3 hours
At least they got the portability part right. Now, all we need is better battery life. The combination of an OLED display and better power management will probably help here.
Don’t forget that the battery is a standard issue nokia battery: you can find both original and clone ones. Not to mention it recharges with nokia battery chargers. And poeple owning a Nokia phone (vast majority) normally already own a couple of them, plus a car charger.
I don’t see much potential for this type of device as a general PC (desktop or laptop). The lack of a keyboard makes getting any real work done too much of a chore. Similarly, it won’t work as a PDA because it is too big. You can’t carry it “on you”.
I do see potential for this type of device as a “handy” PC. By “handy”, I mean an extra PC that you keep around the house (say on a side table in the living room) that is used mainly for web browsing. In my house, we currently have an old 400Myz laptop sitting on our coffee table that we use for spur-of-the-moment web browsing. I would love to have a little device that sits in a cradle on the side table that I can just pick up for 5 minutes of quick browsing. Laptops are too big and awkward for this. PDAs are just not powerful enough and the screen is too small. The main problem I see with Origami is that the price point is too high for me. I could see paying $400-600, but not $1K. That said, the price point could eventually drop.
well there is a software keyboard that puts the keys in the lower corners of the screen in two fans. then its a matter of using your thumbs.
ok, so its not something to write a thesis on, but it should do nicely for im and mail (or some website news comments)…
Yeah, thats kinda what I meant. I’ve seen the onscreen “fans” keyboard and think it would be fine for google searches, website comments, IMs, and short emails. It wouldn’t be a primary computer for any of us geeks and I don’t see it working well for business users who would be better served by a laptop (or tablet PC, which generally have optionally useable keyboards).
im not sure but i think that the beast comes with bluetooth support. grab one of those pda bluetooth keyboards and start typing. hell, they may even come with full usb support, so just grab a foldable (or maybe one of those rollable) keyboard and plug it in…
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/5a7f/
Edited 2006-03-20 21:19
Personally this is the type of thing I’ve been waiting a long time for. A PC running a full OS, not a hampered mobile edition version that requires special software or which has too little storage to actually be useful. Something that I can have handy most of the time, but easier to lug than a laptop or even a traditional format tablet, tet big enough to have something in it more than flash memory to work with.
Drive space may not be 120G+ in first models, but it’ll come if gen 1 devices sell okay
As for lack of keyboard…this is exactly what will make this form factor possible. By not including it, it can be smaller and lighter. If people want a keyboard, it’s up to them…get a portable USB keyboard/mouse or a bluetooth model. If you don’t, then don’t worry about carrying it around. Or if you just want to use keyboard at your desk, plug in any desktop USB keyboard. Why are people so hung up on this issue?!?!?
Sure this won’t be ultraportable like a Nokia 770 or a mobile edition phone, but as I mentioned above, if you want ultraportable, you’re giving up memory and storage space which drastically limits usefulness for my needs.
If the price point gets it at or below $1k, then it’s perfect for me. Price is one big reason I haven’t gone tablet yet.
Yes, battery life will have to improve, but maybe gen2 will improve on that, or maybe hardware vendors will add options for larger batteries for those who want true 5-8 hour run times.
How can people assume this size format is so wrong when the PSP is so wildly popular for things other than gaming??
Edited 2006-03-20 18:18
How can people assume this size format is so wrong when the PSP is so wildly popular for things other than gaming??
Compare size and especialy design of both devices. See my point? Also PSP is primary a portable gaming console with movies support, Origami is…just something to kinda try and get to this market. There is still big demand for such devices, but they’ll have to do better: better looking, simplier and they need some killer feature, not just another port of WinXP.
I’ve been planning on getting a TabletPC for work, but have been thinking of an Oragami device as they are cheaper, still have a full blown OS, and don’t have nearly as much to lugg around.
I have, of course, not seen good reviews on it, I’ll reserve judgement for when I actually get to try one.
The fact, though, that you all are too narrow minded that you can’t see that perhaps it would be nice to not have to carry around a full laptop while still haveing a fullblown computer shows just how biased you are.
I personally know a few hundred middle management types that would kill for something like this.
You don’t need to carry a big laptop to meetings yet it will still run Outlook for all the corporate email. It’ll run Excel and Project so they can manipulate spreadsheets and project plans *during* meetings instead of the dreaded “I’ll get that out to you later” (with the associated forgetting of details). They can once again “Manage By Wandering Around” because they can carry their notes/email with them.
This seems to be the perfect corporate walk-aound information portal.
Remember corporate managers are tethered to their email and spreadsheets with a very short leash. Anything that makes it EASY to have that data nearby is great when you spend all day going from one meeting to another.
It doesn’t need to play “Far Cry”, it doesn’t need to play DVDs, it doesn’t need to be a phone.
It only needs to handle email with the corporate approved stack of software (Windows/Outlook) and be able to browse the other 3 apps the manager needs.
This seems to be the perfect corporate walk-aound information portal.
true, but microsoft isn’t pitching it as a corporate device at the moment. they’re marketing it as a lifestyle device (see the ads).
So, now we all believe Microsoft ads without any critical thinking?
I know how I’m going to sell it to management at all the oil companies and hospitals.
It’s a management lifestyle device!
A little custom programming by yours truly and voila!
The fact that a 40 year old with presbyopia can respond to email with something the same size (or smaller) than the day planner they used to carry, well…sold!
heh, i just meant that microsoft may have “failed” in their goal to bring something like this to the masses.
but yeah, MS may change their marketing tune as it finds its audience.
it doesn’t need to play DVDs
But it does need to be able to play movies from ripped DVD images or video converted to other formats at full screen resolution. UMPC’s aren’t going to have DVDs players. And the prototypes can all do this (allowing battery life) since they’re just running WinXP.
It only needs to handle email with the corporate approved stack of software
No, it needs to be able to run any software that I’d install on an XP desktop or laptop provided my performance expectations are reasonable. And it can do this since it’s just running XP and it has a hard drive and a nearly large enough screen.
This is what will make it viable as a lifestyle device and not a just product that only corporate gadget types can afford to pour money into in order to get reasonable software running on it.
Thank you!
I will be connecting up the the net with it via Verizon’s EVDO service, connect up to my SQL server app hosted online and access all the details I need to w/o having to carry around contact sheets for all my contracters, and be able to actually get away from my desk and still take a phone call and actually be able to do something other than “I’ll have to call you back when I’m in the office”.
I was really considering a tablet, but then they started marketing these babies, which are a much nicer form factor to just carry out and about with me.
Oh thank you for modding me down.
Someone really needs to grow up.
Anyone remember the Atari Lynx? No? Maybe the Sega Game Gear.
Both vastly superior handhels compared to Nintendo’s Gameboy…except they were more expensive and they both ate through 6 batteries in 3-4 hours.
My understanding is that the tablet-style PC idea is a Bill Gates obsession. He’s been beating the tablet drum for a decade now and will continue to beat it for a decade more. He frequently talks about tablet PCs in interviews and remains convinced that it represents the PC of the future. This suggests that MS take the idea more seriously than people seem to think, even though MS may well see Origami as more of a concept project than a potential hot seller. That won’t stop them coming back again in another two years, though, with something else in the same line. When the world’s richest man and your boss and largest stockholder has a bee in his bonnet …
In any case, Gates has a point. Eventually, add in voice and hand-writing recognition that are orders of magnitude superior to today’s, superfast connectivity, 48 hour battery life, truly massive flash memory and far superior LCD screens and you do have an impressive package. Just need to wait 15 years for it, though.
As soon as they fall to about 700-800, I am buying. I wanted to put a computer into my car with generic (navigation, internet, mp3 playing etc soft)for a looong time.
Besides, I can actually take it out of the car when I want to. Skrew laptops with their price and keyboard hanging off one side.
a) If it’s small enough to put in a pocket or wear on a belt, it shall be worn that way.
b) If it’s any larger, you have to carry it in your backpack.
c) If you’re carrying it in your backpack, you might as well have a laptop.
Conclusion: A lifestyle device cannot be larger than an iPod, or at best, a PSP.
Granted, there’s a certain class of corporate user that might use such a thing.
If its size is in between, you can just carry it in your bag, I mean, this kind of bags:
http://ganley.org/bags/bags.html
OK, maybe it’ll not be a mass seller, everybody’s device, but it’s not SO big.
Anyway, the points about battery life/storage/keyboard should be carefully considered by anybody thinking about buying it.
For the moment, I’m happy with my PDA, my phone, my laptop and my desktop computer. I don’t need another expensive device in my life (well… maybe later :>)
Even if I have to carry it in a bag, it’s smaller and lighter and more likely that I’ll carry it around more.
Even though I can wear a PDA form factor device all day, run the software I want or meet my storage requirements. A UMPC does.
A tablet is GREAT for content creation, but is a poor design for consuming content, and the latter is a much bigger market. THAT’S the only practical reason that tablet like devices do not succeed in the mass market. The software that creates content is also much more expensive than the software used to view/hear/play it for the same reasons.
I have a feeling this is the main reason Apple doesn’t release such a product (tablet).