Today marks the first in a series of 10 top UMPC predictions. Some of these will seem painfully obvious, while others may seem wildly far-fetched. Most will likely fall in the middle of that spectrum. But, as is the case with any prediction, what actually becomes a reality is laregely unpredictable. So, without further rambling, here is our first prediction:

UMPC Prediction #1: The UMPC will get off to an extremely slow start

While there is much excitement in the air related to the upcoming Ultra Mobile PC, the platform will come out of the gate at a slow walk rather than an all-out sprint. Expect to see an extended “launch window” for the platform that covers months, not days as Microsoft, Intel and their partners tweak their messages, their marketing (and their software).

While the UMPC will initially look like it’s headed for nicheville ala the Tablet PC, a very quite, but strong grassroots movement will slowly, but surely push the platform towards the mainstream. Additional, broad-appeal applications and a few predictions that we’ll save for later in the series will finally push the platform beyond the early-adopters.

It will take more than a year. Maybe two.

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