Weighing the ideal mini-notebook OS
Operating systems in the market today are not optimized for small-form-factor notebooks, and manufacturers will have to weigh their business case to determine the right operating system, according to an analyst.
Adam Leach, principal analyst for mobile user experience at research firm Ovum, told ZDNet Asia in a phone interview that there has not been one OS that is targeted at these devices, which are also loosely termed as ultra-mobile PCs.
Because small-form factor notebooks have the computing characteristics of a laptop yet they lean toward the size of a smartphone, an appropriate OS would be either a scaled-down version of a notebook platform or an expanded form of a mobile OS, said London-based Leach.
"Manufacturers have to find [their own] middle ground," he said. "It depends what you want to use the device for."
According to Leach, mini-notebook vendors need to consider market segmentation and "consider the 'use' case" for a particular device model.
He said: "In the mobile market, it's segmented offerings that play to different types of audience. [Segmentation] is key to them using the correct OS."
The platforms commonly used by small-form factor notebooks today are Linux and Windows XP. Asus' Eee PC, for example, comes in both variants.
Higher-end machines such as Hewlett-Packard's Mini-Note and Kohjinsha also added the Windows Vista version to their product line-up.
Despite the need for an OS specific for such devices, Leach noted that companies such as HP, that have software capabilities, are not likely to develop one as the costs are "prohibitive". The realistic alternative, he said, would be to optimize, for example, a Linux distribution.
Phil Devlin, Hewlett-Packard's product marketing manager for notebooks in the Asia-Pacific region, told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail that the company's focus would not be on developing an OS, but delivering optimal user experience.
The OS, he added, is only part of the equation to providing the right level of user experience. "We believe in customer choice, to ensure they can select from an array of solutions that best meet their business or personal needs.
"The selection of operating systems is based on customer demand and our need to strike a balance between price and performance for our customer base across the region," added Devlin.
According to Lillian Tay, Gartner's principal analyst for IT hardware markets, enterprise pick-up has not happened for mini-notebooks. Most people buy such devices in the capacity of a consumer--even working professionals purchase them as an alternative to their business laptop, she said in a phone interview.
Gartner, said Tay, is of the view that the mini-notebook is "not at a point of replacing the notebook", particularly in the corporate environment. Such devices are lighter computing versions and do not require the range of applications demanded of full-fledged PCs.