UMPCs dying a slow, twitching death

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Shane McGlaun15 April 2009, 10:00 AM

Rumours of UMPC maker OQO's demise may not be greatly exaggerated.


Back before the netbook was even a gleam in the eyes of an Asus engineer we had several UMPCs on the market that offered Lilliputian dimensions, small screens, and low performance. Nowadays, of course, all of the features of the "UMPC" are there with less of a trade off in usability and without the high price tag, thanks to the myriad netbooks on the market today.

One of the cooler and more interesting UMPCs was from a little company called OQO. Earlier this year, OQO was showing off its newest UMPC model called the OQO Model 2+. The new model had very netbook-like specifications with an 8-inch screen and an Intel Atom CPU. The main difference between the OQO device and a netbook was the form factor with the Model 2+ looking more like a slider smartphone than a netbook.



Above: OQO Model 2+ UMPC in all its Tiny Glory

If your geek lust was well stoked by the OQO Model 2+, let me throw a bit of water on the fire. jkOnTheRun reports that OQO is rumored to be searching for a buyer to take up the reins of the company. Apparently, OQO is in such poor financial shape that work hours at the firm have been cut. Obviously, that means that the new Model 2+ is far from certain to make an appearance.

At the same time that rumors of OQO's demise are circulating around, we also hear that international retail giant eXpansys is notifying customers who pre-ordered the Model 2+ that the machine will not be available and that pre-orders are being cancelled. It sounds like the end may be neigh for OQO. With cheap netbooks still booming in sales, does the slow death of UMPCs imply that it is it simply too expensive to produce PCs in custom form factors?

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tim2hawkes (User):

I would buy them

15 April 2009, 11:22 AM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

The Netbooks offer better usability at a much more compelling price. Smartphone have monopolised the jackets pockets of the upwardly mobile Geek. The UMPC is a dead duck in cannot do both roles and it does not do either role as well as the competitors.
It's so much not that custom form factors are economic, it more that for a custom form factor to become economical it needs to best fit a substantial demand. UMPC doesn't do this.

15 April 2009, 11:55 AM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Hiredgun (New user):

UMPC's I agree have not found the right form factor. Many do want a full PC that they can carry everywhere but also use like a laptop. That means a normal keyboard. Remember the old HP Jornada 720 or the Psion 5mx? Those are just to examples of old handheld designs that is what OQO and other UMPC's should use. Those handhelds sold millions even with a buggy OS. A UMPC that shaped could be a mobile person's only PC. That is the problem with OQO and the other UMPC's.

22 April 2009, 2:33 PM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Senior Forumologist):

There is a small market for them still, but most people interested in these would now prefer a phone to be part of it (maybe not with an 8 inch screen, but a 3-4 inch would still be usable).

15 April 2009, 4:26 PM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (User):

Looks like an over-sized calculator to me. Don't think I'd bother but as you once said "Raindog" When you're stuck in The Stone Age why change :)

15 April 2009, 4:26 PM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting The Big Baboo:
but as you once said "Raindog"

I think you have me confused with someone else, that isn't a comment attributable to me.


15 April 2009, 5:41 PM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (User):

Quoting Raindog:
Quoting The Big Baboo: but as you once said "Raindog" I think you have me confused with someone else, that isn't a comment attributable to me.

If you go back to my comments on the "Aussie Tivo Story 26/03/09" you'll see that you sort of inferred that I was living in The Stone Age and I actually agree with you coz this new stuff they have nowadays doesn't really interest or excite me in the least. Hope you had a great Easter :)

16 April 2009, 9:33 AM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

tim2hawkes (User):

what
New tech doesn't intrest you.
Then why comment on the story.

16 April 2009, 10:13 AM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

The Big Baboo (User):

Quoting tim2hawkes:
What New tech doesn't interest you. Then why comment on the story.

Actually "tim2hawkes" Owning an oversized calculator doesn't interest me but I'm happy to spend $1-2K on something that works well and that I can look at without straining my eyes on. As you can see by my profile I am an old f..t and my eyes aren't as good as they once were.




20 April 2009, 10:58 AM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Hiredgun (New user):

They were like a man let out of the hospital with a gun shot wound in the shoulder ever since the product was launched. Think about their product a full PC that is pocket size. That sounds great right? but wait they want you to use all of your Windows software designed around a normal keyboard with your two thumbs. Now that is where any common sense person would say wait you are making a huge mistake very few people will buy it.

But no OQO's management ignored that basic common sense problem for what almost 8 years? They all should be fired from the top manager all the way down to assistant managers. The technology could have been a huge success but only if they had managers with common sense to realize they should have made it a clamshell to provide the same touch type use of a laptop, just large jacket pocket in size.

22 April 2009, 2:16 PM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Hiredgun (New user):

They were like a person with a gun shot wound not treated and discharged by the hospital when the product was first introduced.

Think about their product. A pocket full PC, that sounds good right? but wait OQO ignored the fact that Windows software is designed around a keyboard and everyone likes a keyboard. OQO is hoping everyone is going to fall in love with their pocket pc and want to type your next report with two fingers?

That is the point where management should step in and put the breaks on. Especially after it bombed and did not generate much sales. They have to be complete idiots not to see that after so many years of the same results.

If they get bought every single person with a management title should be fired. They could have had a great selling product if they just followed the common sense approach on how we use full Windows. That is with a keyboard so to make a pocket size computer with a keyboard it needs to be the size of a handheld. It is possible to make a handheld small enough to fit in a large coat pocket that still provides a good keyboard. OQO should have did that but ignored the obvious and might not be around anymore, sad but dumb mistakes and their own falt not the economies fault.

22 April 2009, 2:29 PM (11 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

tekn (New user):

Agreed- if the basic premise of UMPCs was to shove the Windows OS onto as small a device as possible, then what you're left with is a device that is forced to work in a manner that the OS was never designed. Where the market is heading (thankfully!) is towards radically re-thinking the OS's for smartphones on the smaller end (iPhone OS, WebOS, Android) and lightening up OS's for netbooks (Chrome OS, Linux, Win7?). Simply building a device that is the form factor you want, but without a good OS to get at the information you need is really a dead end. With that in mind, it's not surprising OQO has closed shop.

14 July 2009, 7:42 PM (8 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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