2007 was a year of significant events in the enigmatic Ultra Mobile Devices (UMD) market, reports In-Stat. Major moves were seen on multiple fronts including connectivity, new ultra mobile devices, and new processors. In addition, the analysts believe the industry is beginning to accept that there can only be one Internet. However, prospects for an "all-in-one" mobile Internet device are less promising.

Multiple versions with limited/cut content and performance depending on whether the user’s device identifies itself to the network as a phone or a PC is not an acceptable solution for consumers.

“Major moves by processor manufacturers will continue to enable new UMD designs (primarily UMPCs and MIDs),” says Ian Lao, In-Stat senior analyst. “New processor platforms such as Silverthorne from Intel and Isaiah from VIA will continue to target not only performance but also power dissipation.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Long-range wireless broadband, such as WiMAX, and new wireless technologies like Gobi, a new platform from Qualcomm, are poised to bring anywhere connectivity to reality
• The market accepts the mobile Internet usage concept as seen by the success of products such as the Q1/Q1Ultra, iPhone, and N810 from Samsung, Apple, and Nokia respectively
• The fragmented nature of consumer usages makes it all but impossible to meet the significantly different usage needs with one do-all device

About this study

The research, “UMDs -- Are They For Real? A Worldwide Snapshot” (#IN0804125UMD), covers the worldwide market for Ultra Mobile Devices. In-Stat takes a snapshot look back at the events of 2007 in the UMD market in an attempt to better understand if there is momentum that should not be ignored. Along with the historical snapshot, this report also considers some of the key challenges the market segment faces looking forward.

» Story on Analyst Firm Website

» Comments   Digg this    del.icio.us