If you want to believe the latest hearsay to come out of Taiwan’s handset manufacturing industry, then yes, HTC is set to launch a mobile internet device (MID) in 2008. The MIDs would hit the market sporting the more robust x86 chip architecture and should prove to be more compatible and will perform better than ARM-based chipsets.
DigiTimes‘ source indicates that, “The launch of [HTC] MID handsets will mean that Intel’s MID platform will begin to compete with ARM-based handset platforms, while also squeezing the market share currently enjoyed by UMPCs (ultra mobile PCs).”
Now, we’re not privy to any specific market-share data on UMPCs, but it’s safe to say that the UMPC market is fledgling at best. With the HTC Shift tucked under the Taiwanese company’s belt, it wouldn’t be too far a jump to start churning out MIDs. But, does the move make sense? If HTC can manage to create a profitable economies of scale on the smaller volumes that comprise the UMPC market, an MID lineup might not be too far-fetched.
We’ll keep an eye out one this one.
[Via: DigiTimes]