Microsoft officially announced its latest tablet PC effort today. For the past year, the latest iteration of its tablet PC dream had been known by the project's code name: Origami. In Germany at the CeBIT technology show, the vendor finally brought the project out into the light.

• It's called UMPC, or Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer. What's a UMPC? According to Microsoft it is "a new category of mobile computing devices that features small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs coupled with the full functionality of a Microsoft Windows-based PC and a choice of input options, including enhanced touch-screen capabilities."
  
  While not as bad as the PCMCIA acronym, UMPC is a pretty bad category name. Expect a few analysts and some in the media to use the term, while the rest of us just call it a new tablet PC.
  
  
• Like a PC, it's a jack-of-all-trades. According to a comment from Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Windows Mobile Platforms Division, "The extremely mobile nature of these devices, together with the richness of Windows PC technology, combine to create a powerful platform for mobile communications, entertainment, gaming and new scenarios such as location-based services as well."
  
  Sounds like it wants to be a RIM Blackberry, Apple iPod, and Sony PSP/Nintendo DS at the same time. Success in beating out any of these products would be impressive; taking them all on with one PC-like device is foolhardy.
  
  
• It's Windows XP-powered today, Vista-fueled tomorrow. What's under the software hood? Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. For acronym masochists, you could say it relies on MWXPTPCE.
  

Defining a UMPC

So just what will a UMPC look like? Let Microsoft explain the concept:

• How it compares to a PC. "A UMPC is smaller, lighter and far more portable than most other fully-functional PCs."
  
  
• Size. "Windows-based UMPC devices will weigh less than 2 pounds (.9 kilo), with a 7-inch (17.8 centimeters) screen size that offers the user a choice of text input methods."
  
  
• Input methods. "The touch-enhanced display can be used as an on-screen QWERTY keyboard (called dial keys) to navigate, or users can employ a stylus to input handwritten information. They can also input content with a traditional keyboard, linked either by USB port or wireless Bluetooth connectivity."
  
  
• Hardware. "UMPC devices will have a battery life of two and a half hours or more, and feature 30-60 GB hard drive for storage, with Intel Celeron M, Intel Pentium M or VIA C7-M processors."
  
  
• Differentiation. "Some devices may include additional built-in features such as GPS, a webcam, fingerprint reader, digital TV tuners, and compact flash and SD card readers. UMPCs can be connected through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet networks. Some UMPCs will be able to connect via wide-area networking."
  
  
• Price. "Pricing will be determined by our OEM partners. We anticipate pricing in the US$599-$999 price-range."
  
  
• Availability. "A number of OEMs will launch UMPCs in multiple markets in 2006. Using Intel processors, we anticipate UMPCs from Founder and Samsung in the second quarter of 2006, with a model debuting from Asus shortly thereafter."

A product without a targeted market is a target with no market

Who is a UMPC for? This is an issue, as the UMPC concept seems to be aimed at both consumers and business users. Certainly, the gaming and entertainment functions are consumer uses -- but conisder that note taking in a meeting is a business use. Interestingly, Microsoft made note that UMPCs are not an enterprise product: "The UMPC is also different from other small Windows XP-based PCs like the OQO and the Fujitsu LifeBook P1500D, which are designed for enterprise environments."

This is why the UMPC, like other tablet efforts, will not be a mainstream success. It is taking on a variety of successful products (e.g., notebook PCs, digital music players, and mobile gaming systems) and seemingly trying to replace others (e.g., text messengers, handheld PCs, and to some extent, cell phones). Its relatively large size, limited battery life, and Windows interface will make it pale in usability and portability when compared with these other options.

Microsoft seems determined to force-feed the tablet down buyer's throats. Buyers have and will reject this latest effort.