Those of us interested in looking at how far tablets have moved into business and what the opportunities are will be interested in this webinar that ABI Research are setting up for May 12th. Jeff Orr, someone I’ve had great conversations with in the past about the ultra mobile market, will host the session. This is a topic I’ll continue to cover on UMPCPortal as the ‘X-Over’ continues. I’m looking forward to putting Honeycomb on Tegra 2 [Iconia A500 Live Session is already planned for tomorrow] up against Windows on Oaktrail in my next attempt to see where the gaps are on both sides.

Jeff Orr of ABI Research to Conduct “Beyond Road Warriors” Media Tablets Webinar

Media tablets are all the rage for home consumers. They are larger than a smartphone and more portable than a laptop computer, and consumers are starting to consider what these Slate-shaped devices can do for them, including email, games and web browsing.

If consumers can have access to these smaller computing systems, what is the opportunity for business adoption? How do media tablets resemble and differ from tablet PCs?

Enterprises are used to supporting the mobile road warrior, a power-user who requires versatile computing and communications solutions. But what about the rest of the workforce?

You are invited to join ABI Research for a stimulating Webinar, “Beyond Road Warriors: Making the Case for Media Tablets in Business,” to be hosted by Jeff Orr, Group Director, Mobile Devices.

This Webinar will examine the media tablet platform’s potential for use across several business roles. The analyst will show how roles and responsibilities, workflow requirements, and technical specifications combine to create professional solutions.

The Webinar will take place Thursday, May 12, at 11:00 AM US Eastern Daylight Time.

The event is free. Please register at: http://www.abiresearch.com/webinar/register.jsp?id=426464963.

To understand more about the enterprise market for media tablets, please visit “Media Tablet Devices for Professional and Enterprise Users,” which examines ways in which the needs of the average business worker are being addressed by the emerging media tablet device market.?

For more information about ABI Research visit http://www.abiresearch.com

That’s Ultra Mobile Devices to you and me and it’s a term I rather like. Anyway, back to the story where ABI Research tells us that the UMD market, comprising Netbooks, MIDs and UMPCs. (Don’t ask us which definitions they’re using!) will reach, wait for it, 200 million units by 2013.

The interesting prediction is that by 2013, MIDs (Lets assume they mean small, handheld PMP-style Internet devices) will surge to meet 68% of that figure and netbooks sales will drop back to second place.

I agree with the general underlying opinion that MIDs and Netbooks will be the big sellers with UMPCs (as pro-mobile devices) remaining niche but the big question is ‘when’ and ‘how’ will MIDs take off?

Source: ABIresearch. Via Vunet.