Feb 23, 2009 12:00 PM,

Demystifying the MID

By Sarah Reedy

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Business model aside, the MID market is clearly up against challenges, especially for those devices that focus on basic computing rather than a specific app. Chipset and mobile broadband providers are rallying behind the opportunity, but it may take some convincing for the rest of the market to find the value in the middle.

“2009 is not the ideal time to launch a new type of gadget that you don't know if people want,” Bubley said. “Some people might try, but it won't be the thing that gets the next business. If you look at the last couple of years, a lot of smartphones are now entrenched in popular opinion. I'm not sure even Google Android was able to get out before the recession clamped down on people being conservative. Unless there is a clear value proposition, I think some vendors will struggle.”

MID OR WANNABE?

	Ian Lao, Current Analysis	Phil Solis, ABI Research	Dean Bubley, Disruptive Analysis
Apple iPhone	MID: Primary use is phone; secondary uses include full mobile Internet browsing, media player and mobile gaming.	Wannabe: Screen size is below 4 inches and processor is not as powerful as ARM's Cortex A-8 design.	Wannabe
Apple iPod Touch	Wannabe: Primary use is media player; secondary uses include mobile gaming and limited mobile Internet browsing.	Wannabe: Same disadvantages as iPhone, also has no WWAN connectivity. Wi-Fi is of extremely limited use outdoors.	Wannabe: This comes closest, although it is only Wi-Fi-based and doesn't really have a full-size screen.
Amazon Kindle	Wannabe: Primary use is e-book reader; secondary uses include mobile gaming and limited mobile Internet browsing.	Wannabe: Closed platform; cellular modem used for browsing and purchasing content.	Wannabe: This is the furthest away as it doesn't have a full browser or color screen.
Personal Navigation Device	Wannabe: Primary use is navigation; secondary uses include mobile gaming and limited mobile Internet browsing.	MID Potential: Not based on UMD-class processors and not meant to be general-purpose Internet devices. Will evolve to be MIDs that focus on navigation.	Wannabe
PlayStation Portable Portable	Wannabe: Primary use is mobile gaming; secondary uses include media player and limited mobile Internet browsing.	MID Potential: Portable gaming devices eventually will have WWAN capabilities, but they will remain very proprietary so the gaming software allowed on them can be controlled.	Wannabe
True MIDs	Lenovo Ideapad U8 has full mobile Internet browsing, extremely light content manipulation, VoIP, Web-based navigation, media player and mobile gaming.	UMD-class processor, standarized OS, 4- to 6-inch screen, WWAN connectivity such as EV-DO, HSPA, WiMAX, or LTE.	Aigo P8860 MID, as well as Gigabyte M528 and BenQ Aries2 S6.