Motion Computing’s CL900 tablet with Intel’s Oak Trail chip
Posted on 05/15/2011 1:48:20 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Tablets based on Intel’s first dedicated tablet processor may not be a monster hit among consumers like Apple’s iPad, but they could find adoption in enterprises, analysts said this week.
Anatomy of failure: Mobile flops from RIM, Microsoft, and Nokia Apple’s iPad is the poster child, but Intel’s Oak Trail processor could bring a new wave of tablets that are more closely aligned to security, software and hardware needs in enterprises, analysts said. By supporting the Windows 7 OS, Oak Trail tablets will blend more smoothly than the iPad into IT environments relying on Windows.
Tablets with Intel’s 1.5GHz Atom Z670 processor from Fujitsu and Motion Computing went on sale this month and start shipping in June. Fujitsu is taking orders for the Stylistic Q550 Slate PC tablet, which is priced starting at $729. Motion Computing is taking orders for the CL900 Tablet PC, which is priced starting at $899. The business tablets come with Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS and include solid-state drive storage. Intel has said 35 devices based on the Oak Trail chip will become available starting in May.
Apple may be spurring consumer tablet innovation, but computing needs are very different in the corporate world, said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. Outside the Apple ecosystem, there is a whole world of corporate applications and computing needs driven by Windows, Baker said.
“Products like these [tablets] will do well because Oak Trail provides a better experience for the user on a familiar platform, bridging the gap between corporate products and consumer ones,” Baker said.
The iPad 2 has an ARM processor and offers outstanding power efficiency and performance features, Baker said. But for enterprises, iPad’s software and hardware compatibility issues are more concerning than speed or battery improvements.
Oak Trail tablets differ from the iPad on hardware features, but provide the same level of comfort and compatibility for businesses that depend on a suite of applications they have developed, Baker said.
There is growing interest in the iPad in the enterprise, but Oak Trail tablets could also be a feasible alternative for enterprises concerned about security and application compatibility issues, analysts said.
“There’s a security story that plays well in corporate. IT managers will be much friendlier to a Windows tablet than to an iOS one,” said Roger Kay, president at Endpoint Technologies Associates. “Windows tablets will likely appeal to commercial customers, who, for compatibility reasons, want to stay with Windows,” Kay said.
The Fujitsu and Motion Computing tablets offer Trusted Platform Management 1.2 (TPM), a hardware-based cryptography and authentication technology to enhance tablet security. Intel has also said future tablet chips will include VPro technology to remotely manage and disable tablets.
The Fujitsu tablet reflects the positioning pursued by Intel and Microsoft where tablets qualify as “companion” devices that complement smartphones and traditional PCs, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.
“The primary target markets are largely businesses dependent on Windows that want devices which support commonly used IT management and processes, and easily synched with Windows business applications” King said.
Intel has said that device makers will ultimately release Oak Trail tablets based its Meego and Google’s Android 3.0 operating system code-named Honeycomb. But Oak Trail tablets face a tough challenge against Apple’s iPad in both the consumer and enterprise markets, King said.
“Whether they can make a successful run at the iPad is anyone’s guess. Right now, Apple looks virtually bulletproof,” King said.
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Too expensive.....
The base model w/o a digitizer pen (needed to compensate for using Win 7 with a touch interface unless one has needle like fingers) is $999. If you want one with Mobile connectivity (WWAN), it's $1,225... and still no digitizer pen!! You want everything, they've got one for $1,349.
How on earth does this compete with the iPad2 where the fully loaded model is $700 and the WiFi base model is $500?
Definitely not for the consumer. They’re probably betting that the ease of integrating and supporting it in a Windows networking environment will be worth it for enterprise users.
Because it's a different market and they are not going to buy them one at a time so there will be a quantity discount.
Yep, and because they value different things. Ask any IT manager in a corporate environment and they’ll tell you the absolute last thing they want is a “download store”. Or users installing a lot of apps, for that matter. The smart solution would be to build encryption in at the kernel level that accepts executables only from specified trusted sources e.g. “the company download store”, which would be highly restricted and business-only, of course.
Intel’s motivation will be as it always has been, to create demand for new processors, i.e. for more processing power. They’re very good at this, else we’d all still be running 386s.
Oh these prices will drop with mass production. They will be giving them away with cable service new subscribers in a few years.
What I'm thinking is: "Runs the customized business application I use daily without modification"
The iPad is a terrific personal entertainment device, but it's useless to anyone who had thousands of dollars (and in my case, thousands of hours of development time) investigated in industry-specific Windows based applications.
Different markets, and in mine cost is MUCH less important than "ruggedized" hardware and application portability.
Then they should NOT be thinking "tablet" computing. Their application is not ready to be used with a touch interface.
On the other hand, the iPad works quite well interfacing with your PC back at the office, controlling and accessing the PC's data remotely without having to modify the software at all. . . or, with proper secure interfacing, putting your data at risk.
Go over to apple.com and enter “iPad enterise” in the site’s search box. There’s a wealth of information there that covers all the concerns you’ve listed.
Wow. How can someone mention windows and security in the same breath with a straight face?
I realise it's somewhat better than the virus sponge it's been for years past, but from a security standpoint, it can't hold a candle to Unix. (Mac and Linux)
Sadly, many businesses will want to use these things because they are too set in their ways to try anything else that could work better in the long run. I see it where I work. The blind, slavish obedience to microsoft is frightening sometimes.
“The iPad is a terrific personal entertainment device, but it’s useless to anyone who had thousands of dollars (and in my case, thousands of hours of development time) investigated in industry-specific Windows based applications.”
You should look into the various remote access apps that can remote a Windows screen onto the iPad. That’s a better idea then trying to run heavy Windows apps locally on an underpowered Intel pad. You can also get VPN software for the iPad for a secure connection.
You do need network connectivity, but that’s not an issue in almost any business setting.
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