Pierre-Antoine Blondel

A MID (Mobile Internet Device) is a connected terminal (WiFi, possibly 3G) with a 8′ screen maximum and a day battery minimum. It involves netbooks, smartphones, MP3 players, portable games consoles…

Estimations show that the delivery of such products would be multiplied by 8 between 2007 (53millions wordwide) and 2012 (416 millions).Here are some examples of more or less atypical products at all prices:

• Inspiron Mini 10, Dell’s latest netbook, is equipped with a 10.1′ screen, Intel Atom Z530 processor. No embedded 3G but wifi b/g and 3 USB 2.0 ports allowing easy access to mobile internet through 3G usb keys for 379€ and 399€.
• SFR, Meccano and Gostai (software supplier) are trialing with 50 testers a connected robot named “spykee” connected in WiFi and integrating a webcam. Except the remote monitoring interest, the main usage targets the educational domain: tell stories by presenting an image in front of the webcam, react in the presence of 2D bar code to get learn new languages… Spykee is controlled from a software on PC, a Web interface or a simple mobile phone number in visio (using 3g).
• 3M MPRO 110, a micro-projector commercialized by Bouygues Telecom, compatible with PC and latest smartphones will allow to show contents on a surface up to 1,27 metres via a 640 x 480 pixels VGA resolution. Compact and light, this accessory can be used with a 3G usb stick.
• An UMPC keyboard less device, Samsung NP-Q1EX, which for 600€ provides a 7′ screen, Windows XP, 2 Go RAM, WiFi 802.11b / g, GPS, micro SD location, 60Go hard diskand 4.5h announced autonomy.

MID’s market took off since 2008 is mainly due to the generalization of flat rate (unlimited) subscriptions, pre-paid offers (pass for 15/30/x min of internet usage). A main reason is that these products are more and more subsidized by the operators so the end user target price is reduced if he subscribes to a 3G+ offer for a certain duration.

These products are appreciated by business users (work everywhere as from the office) but also people during holidays (have a look at e-mails or surf on internet without wasting time looking for a cybercafe) or young people who for 300-400€ can obtain a computer easily transportable with satistying performance for a ‘microsoft office’ usage. The September start of the school year became an essential marketing campaign for operators to show and advert their latest offers.

To go further:

• iSuppli : le marché des MID multiplié par 8 d’ici 2012
• NP-Q1EX : un UMPC sans clavier pour Samsung
• SFR et Gostai expérimentent un robot connecté
• Bouygues Telecom Entreprises subventionne le micro-projecteur 3M MPRO 110
• Netbook: l’Inspiron Mini 10 déjà disponible sur le site français de Dell (BusinessMobile)

written by Charlotte Bigotto.