When Microsoft launched one of their most successful and
accidental viral marketing campaigns ever on the 23rd of February, expectations were rising high. Was it a portable XBOX, an iPod killer, a bird, a plane.... Superman?
Unfortunately the truth was not nearly as exciting, the Origami is nothing more than a smaller than average TabletPC, a product in search for a market. They claim a price point of around $500, but I doubt they will achieve that in the short term, my estimate is that initially it will be at least double that amount.
The unit (Samsung's version is displayed below) is smaller than the average TabletPC, but not nearly as small as I was hoping it to be. The moment they hit the $500 price point and make it look like the mock-up Bill Gates is holding in the 2nd photo then I am sure it will take off. As what I don't know, but someone will find a purpose for it.
Things are not all negative though, by having a less than perfect product like this available now, people, developers and companies will start to think about potential uses for it. Someone will come up with a good, maybe even a killer, idea.
Listed below are some interesting Origami related links that are not just copies of the usual press releases:
I'll keep an eye on it, hopefully the ongoing miniaturisation of Windows XP devices will lead to replacements for today's
PocketPCs.