Who is the target audience for the HP Mini 1000 MIE?

After a short phone meeting with some of the guys who worked on the HP Mini 1000 MIE, it was clear that they had a difference target audience in mind than the XP version of the netbook.

Though the Mini 1000 MIE is running a custom version of Ubuntu Linux, it is not intended for Linux gurus. It also isn’t mean for power users who need compatibility with Windows applications. HP wanted the Mini 1000 MEI to appeal to consumers who weren’t already deeply involved with specific pieces of Windows software; particularly those who spend most of their time with a computer on the internet and use web apps, which are functional from any modern browser, to supplement software they might use on a different OS.

HP determined that less computer savvy consumers have three primary things that they want to do on their computers. Those three things are: browsing, communication, and entertainment. With this knowledge, they designed the very top level of the Mini 1000 MIE’s user interface with these three things only a few mouse clicks away from the user. For browsing, they obviously chose the web browser, for communication, they picked email, and for entertainment, they chose pictures. Have a look at the home page of the Mini 1000 MIE:

As you can see, the interface is clearly divided into three sections to help users accomplish these three primary tasks. This isn’t all that the computer allows you to do however. Using the Start New Program button at the bottom, you can launch a bunch of other applications as well, but the top level UI here is designed to make it easy to reach these three functions.

The goal of the Mini 1000 MIE was to cut prices down from the Windows version, and make the computer cheaper for those that don’t need the Windows compatibility. It is called Mobile Internet Edition because they expect people to be highly connected with the device and as I said before, supplement the applications that they might use on a Windows computer with web apps instead. The impression I get from the Mini 1000 MIE is just that as well. This machine isn’t for power users, it is for people who want a simple computing experience and to use these core functions without hassle. It is for people who don’t care what web browser or email manager they are using, as long as it works well for them.