A recent Computer World article suggested that the iPhone’s biggest competition might be the Eee PC. While I disagree that a device the size of an Eee PC could ever compete with a cell phone, it turns out there is a way that in the future a Linux UMPC could become a serious iPhone (or <insert name of smartphone>) competitor.

A company called Miu has created a concept phone/UMPC that would mix the two groups into one smartphone-sized device, according to Linux Devices. With many smartphones already moving towards being a small computer, it seems almost obvious that UMPCs will mix with smart phones to create serious competitors to devices like the iPhone. You could even argue that the iPhone itself is already a UMPCphone, but with it’s limited productivity features, it does not quite seem to be a full UMPC.

So how is this related to Linux? Linux already has a hold in the UMPC market and it is starting to become more important in smartphones, so Linux may well be the first choice for a UMPCphone. Apple’s OS X has very little hold in the UMPC world, if you even consider the Air a UMPC. Microsoft has had little success so far in the UMPC market and their smartphones have not be, lets just say, great. Although Linux’s smartphone territory is not yet established, Linux has a solid position in UMPCs and a growing presence in smartphones, making a likely choice for a UMPCphone.

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