We’ve had years of talk about the battle for the digital living room, but increasingly the battle lines have been extended. The big entertainment technology companies want the living room and the entire mobile world. Yes, I know that’s an obvious statement when you look at the evolution of cell phones, but more important to this discussion is the recent boom in mobile Internet devices (MIDs).
There’s such a huge range of MIDs that’s it’s hard to narrow the definition down to a gadget’s primary function (or specific CPU). Some MIDs are slimmed down laptops, like the Lenovo IdeaPad Dave ordered or the acclaimed Asus Eee, some are souped-up media players, like the new Archos line, and some are, yes, cell phones, notably the iPhone.
So who is going to dive deep into the MID business next? Do I hear a vote for the content companies? It certainly wouldn’t surprise me. Disney tablets, ESPN portable scoreboards, mini CNN news screens. I can see them now…
Given how badly ESPN was burned on the ESPNPhone, I think Disney is likely the last content company to try to move into this space in a big way, at least for the next couple of years. I think they have no desire to be first.
One reason for them to do it, however, would be that their tween/teen properties and hardware devices have pretty compatible life cycles. Just when a girl won’t be caught dead with her Jonas Brothers tablet, it’s time for an upgrade anyway.
Agreed that the tweener market is a good target. Assuming companies can make the hardware relatively cheap.
Each channel has its own MID?!?!?!?
Nightmare “vendor lock” scenario: Each content channel issues their own dedicated, proprietary set top box ( painted in matching channel graphics ). So I end up with 300+ of them, stacked floor to ceiling, row after row in my living room. Each need their own monthly subscription fee, automatically drafted from the mandatory credit card given at sign-up of course.
I know the all ZNF readers think this sounds cool, and it may happen ( the price of selling your own branded STB is almost nothing when purchased in volume ) but I say “no thanks”.
Doesn’t Dave already have 20 or 30 STBs all running at once, requiring a dedicated blog post just to figure out the power consumption:
https://zatznotfunny.com/2008-08/exorcising-the-energy-vampires/
Well, we do have the ESPN-branded “ultimate” remote with Internet connectivity… And doesn’t Disney already make branded PCs and/or tvs?
Todd, I’ve managed to actually reduce quite a few of my “boxes” over the last few months. Not out of concern for the environment, but the clutter is killing me.
So Dave, you bought the IdeaPad huh? I’ve been thinking of doing something here, but since MSI messed up the Wind’s trackpad I’ve been unsure. With the Dell still pending, why the Lenovo in particular? Obviously there isn’t a lot to distinguish one Atom box from another other than screen quality and maybe keyboard and trackpad layout, the internals and connections are almost all the same…
BTW the coupon code for the S10 doesn’t work anymore…
@Glenn I’ve been thinking about holding out for the Dell here. Conflicted, though. Don’t really *need* a tiny notebook now. Current laptop more powerful and perfectly good…
Glenn, you may want to hold off – the Lenovo spokesperson says a 6 cell battery will be available. Will probably add 1/2 pound to the unit and raise the cost, but an extra 2+ hours of juice could be worth it.
Mari, the initial Dell appears to have an 8.9″ screen. The Lenovo (and Eee 1000h and MSI Wind) have 10″ screens.
I’m not certain what my “final” setup will be (depends how Apple plays it), but I’m thinking that mini-notebook plus a 20″ or 24″ iMac that serves double duty as a Vista Media Center. Plus of course my work MBP, but that’s sorta separate. Also, we could make the claim that my iPhone is an Internet tablet – best mobile browser I’ve ever used.
I don’t see much potential for a content-branded MID, at least not until we have WiMAX and one of these companies takes a fresh crack at the MVNO market. That said, I’ve taken a crack at an ultraportable ontology at http://snurl.com/3iniz.
All I want is the new UrbanMax concept device that Intel showed off at IDF this week. They did say on DL.TV that it may take a year for it to become a real product, but I hope that isn’t true.
http://jkkmobile.blogspot.com/2008/08/origami-experience-20-on-intel-urbanmax.html
Well, a few things have happened to the space if you’ve been following:
– Dell isn’t coming out till September, all the original rumors notwithstanding
– MSI has changed the vendor it is using for its trackpad, and apparently the new one is very annoying. Of course you still can’t find one anywhere so maybe it doesn’t matter.
– Acer has dropped the price on its Acer Aspire One 8.9″ mini notebook to $329 Linux/$349 Windows XP. I think this will warrant some of these other vendors to have a fresh look at their prices, which have been creeping up. The screen is fine, the keyboard is quite nice, but the trackpad/buttons a bit too small. Very small and light with the 3-cell battery, but its apparently only going to be a $50 premium for the 6-cell (you also get a 160GB drive, up from the 120GB for that price), and those are $120 after the fact…
I like the 10″ screen on the S10, the track pad looks better, its got ExpressCard which *might* be useful someday (though I’ve yet to use it in any of my other laptops…). But its also got a smaller hard disk (does this matter?), one fewer USB ports (2 vs. 3) and costs $90 more…
If it had the trackpoint “nipple” I’d buy one instantly. Also wish it had bluetooth (not on the Acer either) for external mouse etc, though I suppose the micro transceiver Logitech is using would be fine, though less okay with only 2 USB ports…