MiniPCs are ready to take over the world!

Shopper’s office has been invaded by a raft of capable little critters, though thankfully it’s not the kind of infestation that requires us to call Rentokil. Instead, it’s mini PCs that seem to popping up in their droves, so many in fact that I’m keeping them well apart for fear the little beauties will start breeding.

We’ve seen a few atom-powered mini PCs over the last few months, the most memorable being Asus’s slender Eee Box B202, all hoping to ride the wave of popularity generated by netbooks. Amongst the four new models we’ve seen this month, two are particularly intriguing: Asus’s new HD-capable Eee Box and Nvidia’s Ion platform prototype.

This got me to thinking about what uses these new mini PCs are best designed for, and whether the desktop PC is facing extinction – though it wouldn’t be the first time someone has wrongly suggested the traditional tower’s demise. More interesting, though, is the possibility that Microsoft’s dream of a Media Center PC under every TV may now be a realistic possibility.

When Windows Media Center was launched back in 2005, it was a bit of a disaster. It was only available as part of the special Windows XP Media Center Edition. It wasn’t very stable either, and the hardware required was bulky, noisy and expensive by today’s standards. It’s not surprising that it didn’t catch on.

Things have changed, however. The software is now part of Windows Vista Home Premium – the standard OS for a new Windows PC. Media Center itself is greatly improved, and is now arguably the best EPG you can get, certainly better than Sky+ or anything we’ve seen on a Freeview PVR. The latest Mini PCs are the final part of the jigsaw, providing us with compact, quiet, inexpensive and HD-capable hardware.

Add this all up and its not desktop PCs that need worry, but instead those £200-£300 HD-capable PVRs and media streaming or playback devices. The next-generation of Mini PCs should be able to do everything they can and a lot more beside. The only remaining stumbling block we can see is the price of Windows Vista itself, as it adds a considerable hike to such low-priced hardware.