Raiden's Realm: Why MIDs have yet to soar

Why MIDs have yet to soar (Page 1 of 1)

Written by Steve Lake
Posted on: Jul 03, 2009 at 01:03pm
Section: Mobile Computing
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One of the topics I've seen of late is that, according to general sales numbers, Netbooks soared and were a huge success, while Mobile Internet Devices (MID) more or less did an epic faceplant and a fail of monumental proportions.

Yet, I don't think we are ready to count out MIDs just yet. In fact, I think they haven't even really begun and we're very much due for a big, big boom in MID sales in the near future. Here's several reasons why:

MIDs typically use Linux. Not all mind you, but I'd say that for ever 7 MIDs that use Linux, only one, maybe two use an alternative operating system like Windows. (wow, I actually called Windows an "alternative" operating system. That's a total flip in perspective. Heh)

People don't yet understand MIDs. People get netbooks. To most people, they're essentially a smaller version of the standard laptop. So right off the bat people �get� them, they understand them, and they know how to use them. MIDs on the other hand are more akin to the iPhone and users therefore get confused with them.

When people finally get their mind around what MID is (ie, it's not a phone), then I expect to see a monumental growth in MID purchase and use. Until then, only early adopters and fringe users (ref: tech heads) will use and prefer them.

3G/4G support. Once MIDs are able to take advantage of the 3G based cellular networks, and the upcoming 4G systems, you should see MIDs take off. And oddly, I think you'll see them become, not just the mobile mini-pc they are now, but a blending of phone, mp3 player, wearable PC, and much more.

They won't *be* phones, or even smart phones. MIDs will be just that. MIDs. This is mostly because MIDs can do things that smart phones will never, ever, ever be able to do. Or if they can, they'll only be able to offer a weak facsimile of what a true MID can do. Also, the ability to make voice calls on a MID will only be a fringe feature, not the core function, as is the case in smart phones.

So think of it like having a car with a stereo in it. The primary function of the car is to get you from point A to point B. The stereo is a bonus, a perk. With MIDs, any phone functionality will be in essence much the same thing. In fact, I expect to see MIDs and smart phones actually operating side by side in harmony.

Better technology. For as great as the MIDs are, they still lack a little in the technology department. But that's not to say they're junk. I've got two of the Nokia n810's, Nokia's 3rd generation answer to the MID, and it's incredible. It's like having a PDA packed full of rocket fuel that's OD'ed on steroids.

Maybe not speed wise, but the number of things you can do with it, such as games, movies, music, web surfing, and so much more, makes owning a PDA so 2001, as some like to say. The MIDs are more or less a tiny portable computer in your pocket. They can more or less do anything you need them to, or that your regular PC can do, only slightly slower.

Sure, you're not going to write your next term paper on a MID, but you can certainly bring the web, your movies, and music with you and enjoy them pretty much anywhere.

A full PC in your pocket. As mentioned in passing above, the MIDs are essentially a PC in your pocket. As technology advances, the need for laptops and netbooks will subside and you'll start seeing wearable PC's based around MIDs taking over. Again, it would be a bit difficult to write a report on one for now until the technology catches up, but until then there's plenty you can do with them that doesn't require you to use them for huge spreadsheets.

The sci-fi concept that came about about a decade ago where laptops were obsolete and everyone had a full PC in their pocket (about the size of a MID) isn't too far off really. Even IBM saw the future potential of MIDs long before PDA's, the intellectual predecessor of the MID, were even a reality. In fact, there's already a wiki that talks about the concept and is striving to bring about awareness of the idea in hopes that it'll spawn a few OEM's to take the plunge and make a wearable PC.

Overall, I think the MIDs are set for a tech boom here in the near future with newer, faster Arm processors coming down the line, as well as a meteoric expansion of the user community as more and more people finally begin to understand what a MID is. I think that in a couple more years, especially with the boom in smart phones, you'll see MIDs have their day, and in time they will likely even replace your laptop. Maybe not completely, and maybe not in the next decade, but it can't be much further beyond that, can it?

EDIT: A compatriot of mine has posted a followup to my article that's well worth reading.

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