Digitimes has posted an interesting article looking at the Small Form Factor market from manufacturers' point of view. SFF PCs that were once catalogued as low performance machines, full of limitations, have turned over showing its real potential, popularity of these among enthusiasts in recent times says it all...

A drawback to having multiple manufacturers making their own mini PCs is that the parts are non-standard and can’t be interchanged. Consumers may need to replace the motherboard and the case if an upgrade is desired. To remedy this issue Intel is pushing forward with a plan, called “Big Water”, to standardize the small form factor system specifications. Some industry players are troubled by the Intel standardization plan, since it will limit the appearance of these systems and attract large OEMs to enter the market resulting in lower profit margins. VIA has also been aggressively promoting its own standard for these small form factor PCs – the mini-ITX – for over a year, but they’re still waiting for mainstream adoption.