Haiku
Barely paper thin.
Glowing seven inch display.
Runs all Windows apps.
Last year at WinHec Bill Gates showed off a fascinatingly thin PC dubbed Haiku. Microsoft is showcasing Haiku as a “next gen” UMPC (also known by its codename Origami). A Haiku PC is ultra thin and ultra light, yet still has a large enough display to make movie watching comfortable–the Microsoft designers suggest.
Originally, Haiku was to be available “sometime in 2007.” Well, as 2007 rapidly approaches, reality does too and, well, uhm, it looks like you’re going to have more time to save your money to buy one. InfoWorld is reporting that at a Via Technologies conference today, Origami creator Otto Berkes says that “We don’t think [the Haiku] is feasible today, but we’re very excited about the roadmap [Via Technologies] shared that will make this possible in a few years.”
Oh well. Easy come, easy go. Actually, I’m hoping that the digital camera market will push advancements here–not necessarily in terms of the raw computing power desired for a fully functioning PC, but rather in terms of the basic form factor, battery life and display technologies. I can envision more ultra-thin digital cameras with wide screens, touch controls, WiFi connectivity–all in a form factor about the size of a Haiku. Already there are some cameras that are about half-this side, but quite similar in thickness. Of course, these cameras won’t need a full PC in them–although it could be interesting if you could have Photoshop-in-a-box that’s been touchscreen optimized. And without the need for lots of horsepower, which means longer battery life and fewer heat worries, they have a far easier job of it.
