It seems every year there's a new technology battle front with manufacturers competing for supremacy in a new technology segment. Last year was the HD War with Toshiba's HDDVD falling to SONY's BLURAY. It's now time to sharpen your weapons for the MID War.
Most people's first response to that it "The what war? What the heck is a MID?!" For those in the know, it's ok to shake your head in disbelief. A MID or Mobile Internet Device is a new breed of mini computer designed specifically for internet surfing and connectivity. Many argue that the UMPC already covers this segment and that there should not be another whole breed of devices. If you have ever tried to price a UMPC, you're probably still in disbelief over the price tag. Microsoft first envisioned UMPC's to be priced below $800, but since they require Microsoft software to be classified as a UMPC, prices and specs have been upgraded to astronomical levels which make most UMPCs cost well over a grand.
Most MIDs will not suffer this fate since they do not require Microsoft's bloated software and the manufacturers have a lot more say in what they want their device to do. A MID can have a full operating system, keyboard, touch screen, wifi, Bluetooth, and much more or it can be as simple as can be.
At the moment, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia are working on new processors to power upcoming MIDs. Each manufacturer is hoping to get a strong foothold in this new market which they hope will make them millions of dollars. We're seeing the first batched of devices coming off the productions lines and so far things are looking a lot better than they did for UMPCs.
Stay tuned to hear more about new MIDs and the inevitable price war that will ensue for ultimate dominance in this segment.
