Somewhere between the smart phone and netbook markets, Canonical hopes to stir demand for Ubuntu on so-called Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). Sharp seems to share that vision and is launching the PC-Z1 Mobile Internet Tool running Ubuntu 9.04. Here are some quick details.
Don’t look for the PC-Z1 in North America. According to a Sharp press release, the PC-Z1 launches Sept. 25 in Japan. It features a 5-inch TFT LCD touch-screen, runs Ubuntu 9.04 and launches in as little as 3 seconds. According to Sharp, the PC-Z1:
“is as easy to handle as a mobile phone and that has performance similar to that of a PC. The PC-Z1 will make its debut as a new category of mobile devices designed for the era of cloud computing.”
Will it sell? I must concede: I’m blogging for New York and not qualified to make predictions about consumer tech trends in Japan. But it’s good to see Canonical’s MID vision turning into a reality with some OEMs.
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It’s worthwhile to point out that this is an ARM based device. Unless I missed a previous announcement this looks like the first Ubuntu pre-install ARM device to hit the streets anywhere.
It’s also worthwhile to point out that Sharp seems to have gone on record with a sales projection… 100,000 units by next March, over the first 6 months of availability. Sales projections at launch are rare to come by.
http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Sharp-NetWalker-PCZ1-Mobile-Internet-Tool/
According to projections total netbook sales in Japen for all of 2009 will be 1.9M.
http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/071309_mini_note_netbook_shipments_to_double_y_y_to_more_than_30m_units_in_2009.asp
So ballparking the numbers using those projections, Sharp is expecting to capture 10% of the projected netbook market in Japan with this one device in the next 6 months. That’s interesting.
Of course that analysis isn’t completely fair, this isn’t exactly a netbook..its too small of a form factor…deliberately so. As Netbooks form factors have trended upwards from 7 inches to the 10.1 inches over the last couple of years. It might not compete directly with netbooks at all.
Netbook competition or not..this isn’t a new form factor for Sharp. This is close to where Sharp left off with its clamshell devices in the Zaurus SL series (the SL-C3000 for example)..back when this form factor was referred to as a “PDA”. Everything old is new again.
Given the very Japanese-centric history of the Zaurus brand, I wouldn’t bet on Sharp on making a strong push to globalize the netwalker line of devices quickly.
-jef
This is nice, I hope Japan embraces these Ubuntu MIDs and more OEMs introduce more products like this.
I wish I was in Japan
(
This is great need, I just wonder why Ubuntu and not a more stable distribution like Centos.
@Tech Support
Perhaps because CentOS doesn’t have an ARM port. Also the lack of engineering resources and a commercial organisation that they can engage with may slow down the OEM adoption of CentOS. Personally I think this thing is too small with not enough screen to run a desktop OS.