The UMPC form factor started as a standard set by microsoft, to have fully features computers that were small enough to fit in a user's hands. These were mainly a thing in the mid to late 2000's, but I believe that spirtually this form factor survives in the modern gaming focused handheld PCs we know today. In my opinion, UMPCs were the result of a fascination with miniturized technolgy in the pre-smartphone era.
UMPCs of the 2000's had some fundamental flaws due to the limitations of technology at the time. They tended to use mobile processors that were somewhat underpowered compared to what existed on PCs or in laptops. The trade off though of course was having a fully featured windows system, that could be carried easily in a small bag or backpack. A couple different models even had docks, so you could use them with larger screens and external periferals. Another issue with UMPCs was the ergonomics and controls. Some relied on miniaturized trackballs or thumbsticks for mouse functions, which could be awkward to use. Touch screens were a thing, but they often needed a stylus to be utilized properly. Even then, OSs like Vista and Windows XP were clunky to use on a handheld, as these operating systems were ultimately not designed for this purpose. Price was one of the biggest factors. Miniaturized harddrives and mobile processors were NOT cheap, especially at this point in time. These were often luxury devices.While this form factor was impressive and showed a lot of potential, it was ultimately too ahead of its time. Laptops were a more mature form factor, and you got better performance for the price. Mobile data and wifi were also a lot less refined of a technology. Meaning the places where you could utilize a UMPC, were the same places you'd be able to utilize a laptop. The market and the real life practicalities were against it.
In the past few years however, something fascinating has happened as Handheld computers have returned! it's just now, they've found thier niche in gaming!. There are a varried amount of handheld PCs now, Including devices like the Steam Deck, LegionGo and all the insane things cooked up for the OneXPlayer product line. Whille Windows11 isn't optimized for handhelds, it performs better than Vista and XP did on the 2000's handhelds. PC Gaming on the go is the perfect niche for this form factor, along with emulation and other PC exclusive things. Windows11 is adequate on handhelds, and SteamOS is spectacular, as long as you're fine with not being able to play games that use the big anti-cheat programs. Though the anti-cheat problem will likely be fixed as SteamOS devices become more common.
Overall, it is fascinating how UMPCS died off, then came back once a place for them was opened in the market. I'm excited to see what the future will bring as computer technology becomes more powerful and cheaper.
- James Cyberzone