Microsoft Reader Optimized for Origami™ Is Finally Here!
Hi! I'm Christine from the Microsoft Reader team. Some of you may know me from some of the other device forums like PocketPCThoughts, Aximsite or the Microsoft.Public.Reader newsgroup under the name MSReadergirl.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft's Reader team has shipped an Origami-optimized build of its e-book software, announced directly by a team member ('MSReadergirl') who cultivates the enthusiast forums — PocketPCThoughts, Aximsite, and the Microsoft.Public.Reader newsgroup — rather than through an OEM launch event.
The timing matters: in May 2007 Ars Technica reported that Origami 2.0 hardware would be thinner, smaller, and possibly less expensive, which makes a reading-tuned application a natural piece of the ultramobile story Microsoft needs for those smaller screens.
First-order effects
- Owners of current Origami (UMPC) devices get a version of Microsoft Reader fitted to their small screens, giving the format a fresh hardware target years into its life.
- Microsoft is leaning on community managers in device forums to drive adoption, signaling that Reader-on-Origami is aimed squarely at the enthusiast niche rather than a mass-market push.
Second-order effects
- If the thinner, cheaper Origami 2.0 hardware arrives as reported, the optimized Reader becomes part of the software argument for why a general-purpose ultramobile PC covers reading use cases.
- OEMs building Origami devices gain a bundled reading application they can cite in their pitches without licensing or building an e-book client themselves.
Third-order effects
- The open question this announcement speaks to is whether general-purpose Windows devices can host a credible long-form reading platform, or whether reading ultimately demands dedicated hardware and storefronts — a structural bet Microsoft is making with existing software rather than new investment.
The trend: Microsoft is extending its legacy e-book format onto new small-screen Windows form factors, betting that software optimization can make general-purpose ultramobile devices serve as reading platforms.