Fancy features and press buzz couldn't keep OQO's tiny PC afloat.
A forum posting on the company's Web site says repairs for the Ultra-Mobile PC will no longer be offered due to financial constraints. Meanwhile, GottaBeMobile reports that the company is trying to get a buyer, at least for its employees and technology, but production runs are finished.
Originally announced to much fanfare in 2004, OQO intended to shrink the PC to pocket size wihout sacrificing too much power. With a five-inch screen, the UMPCs had a lot of the specs you find in today's netbooks: Intel Atom processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive and HDMI ports for connecting to bigger screens. The problem is, OQO's asking price began at over $1,000.
Netbooks exploded because people realized they don't need the power of a full-featured PC in such a small package. As long as it can surf the Web and process words, it's good enough. And at $350, a netbook is far more attractive as a supplemental computer. Save the big expense for a high-powered laptop or desktop.
Meanwhile, the iPhone and other powerful smartphones cornered the ultra-portable market, letting consumers get a decent amount of computing power in their pockets.
Warning signs surfaced last month, with the OQO delaying the arrival of its latest model and signaling trouble with raising money. It's easy to blame the economy, but I think investors saw the writing on the wall.
