Ultra mobile device shipments to hit 385 million in 2014, says ABI Research

ABI Research expects the ultra mobile device (UMD) market – ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs), netbooks, MIDs and mobile consumer electronics devices – to reach 385 million units shipped in 2014. The diversity of form factors and device types will likely continue as vendors look to meet the unique preferences of particular markets.

"Consumers and business buyers only recently became accustomed to the netbook feature set," said senior analyst Jeff Orr. "Regardless of vendor, the majority of today's netbooks ship with Intel processors and Windows XP into developed markets." As uptake continues, developing markets will become the larger opportunity leveraging both ARM-based processors and Linux. The premium netbook category will also be established, offering larger screens and greater choices in connectivity solutions. Given little distinction today in feature-set and a relatively small price band, brands are differentiating themselves on aesthetics and build quality.

Pocketable MIDs remain a far more interesting product segment to watch, said Orr, as the market is still emerging. While the most common product design remains the tablet form, competing form factors such as sliding keyboards, clamshells and touchscreen-only interfaces are gaining in popularity. "However, there is a danger that the MID market will disappear before it gets the chance to mature, as smartphones increase in popularity and mimic most, if not all, tasks performed by MIDs."

One can also expect the line distinguishing MIDs from smartphones to blur as MIDs add voice: Nokia has equipped its latest Internet tablet, the model N900, with cellular voice capabilities, for example, ABI noted.