Unfolding Origami

Microsoft has been playing their hand very closely lately on what exactly their new "big thing" will be, with the code name of "origami." There has been a fair amount of speculation, but the consensus on the 'net is that the folks from Redmond are planning on releasing some type of mini tablet pc.

Yeah, I know, tablet pc's are not even "has beens" of the mobile computing world; they're more like a "never was." Sort of like the child prodigy that graduates high school early to leave college midsemester to find himself. They just weren't ready for prime time, and were pushed out the door a little too early. If we wanted to scribble some notes somewhere, then a piece of paper is a lot easier than a mobile computer screen. A few years ago, who wanted a more expensive notebook, with barely a few hour battery life, a substandard optical drive, and a cramped, or worse, no keyboard? Nobody did, and the category has been on the endangered list ever since.

In a somewhat unprecedented move for Microsoft, they are cryptically teasing us all on their Origami Project site. Perhaps they hired the Apple PR folks, and the buzz appears to be on. Before you rush on over (the link is on the bottom), let me warn you that the screenshot above is as good as it gets. Disappointingly, there is not one picture of the product. From the sequence showing the different scenes, it's safe to assume that whatever the origami project is should not sit attached to your desktop. From the different locations, a good guess would be some type of wireless connection, whether cell phone network, or WiFi, or both will be a prominent feature.

The image from the left is from the Engadget site. In a casual glance, it doesn't look that diffierent from the image that some have debated is the next video iPod. Microsoft has a long tradition of "repackaging" other companies ideas. As the iPod is dominating portable music, and working on video, I'm sure the Washington folks must be itching to get into the foray, and hoping the dollars follow.

Supposedly, we'll be getting some answers next week, on March the 9th to be exact. In my mind, these are the keys to a new mini tablet pc being a smashing success.

1. A simplified operating system. We don't need XP on such a small device. A variant of Microsoft's Pocket PC would work. Most importantly, it needs to boot quickly, like always on.
2. To compete with the next gen iPod, it needs a hard drive. A 40 to 60 GB drive should do the job, with plenty of cache to save the battery. Flash memory is not going to be able to store videos and compete against the next gen iPod.
3. It needs to have stable wireless connections. WiFi is essential. Bluetooth would be a nice luxury. Cell networks would be great, and keep us connected just about everywhere.
4. A long battery life is very important. If it can last a full 8 hour workday (what's that? Bill's a real slave driver here at TNL!), then it would be embraced by businesses. I could see every worker outfitted with one. I could see this being used at retail stores, supermarkets, rental car places, restaurants and airports for starters. Not to mention Doctors and nurses at hospitals.
5. It needs to be affordable. If "origami" is not less than $500, I doubt it will get wide deployment. If it's competing directly against a full computer's price point, it's going to lose the vast majority of the time. Now that notebooks are practically that cheap, a $600 to $700 mini tablet will stay on the shelves.

In conclusion, whatever the "origami project" is, it definitely has me intrigued. Could this finally be the digital Swiss army knife we've all been waiting for? It's nice to see Microsoft innovating, or at least copying someone that knows what they're doing. We can all count off the moments till next week to see if this really is a "big thing" or just more smoke and mirrors.

The Origami Site.

--Jonas