Comments on: palmOne Creates New Mac Resource Center
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RE: Nice to see!
RE: Nice to see!
elo
RE: Nice to see!
And this is coming from a fellow Mac user/enthusiast. ;-)
RE: Nice to see!
...They also emphasize the digital lifestyle aspects of the Mac, which are wonderful, but I wonder if PalmSource is missing the point that people actually do their jobs on a Mac and might be just as much interested in continued support for business-oriented devices like PDAs. It's great that they recognize the significant Mac user base, but I hope they also realize we do other things besides play MP3s and look at pictures."<<
Yeah, people who use Macs for business are an *even smaller* percentage of the market, meaning PalmSOURCE would have even less concern about dropping support.
PalmOne, however, never ended official support of the Mac platform with their company. Unlike you they seem to realize, however, that the vast majority of the Mac market is what most would call "enthusiasts", as serious business use of Macs is pretty rare unless you are in publication or graphic arts. And even those who do use them for business would find the features they are highlighting useful.
And what's wrong with being enthusiastic about the tools you use for work? Seems to me it would make one like their job even more.
The point is, I think you're reading way too much into the word "enthusiast", and not seeing enough of the positive aspects of this. I don't want to invalidate your feelings or anything, but it seems a bit ridiculous to get all worked up over the use of a fairly innocuous choice of wording.
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
It's about time! Kudos - Palm!
Ok Palm you did something right. Kudo's to Palm keep it up.
I'm also a new Mac Convert. I purchased a Powerbook G4 12" last year and a Tungsten 3 this year.
I'm also switching to the Mac and will begin the process of buying an iMac or G5 this Fall. I'm waiting to see what Apple does to the iMac computers in September.
I use PCs at work and to earn a living, but I've decided the Apple is the way to go at home.
Cya Wintel.
- David
D. Martin
Former Amiga/Commodore Author/Writer/Reviewer
Now Mac Users can get down and dirtier
Sooner or later, all Palm-Powered Handhelds running under Intel's PXA27X line of processors need to implement Centrino Technology in addition to Intel's XScale technology and Intel's WMMX.
Giant Zire 72
Or maybe the next iMacs are really, really tiny :)
--
Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog
Too late...
RE: Too late...
At this time I think it would be silly for Palmone to give up mac support. Anywhere you turn nowdays it seems that you find another person who left the world of windows and joined the Mac community.
Personally, I blame the iPod
RE: Too late...
--
Psion 5> Vx > m505 > N770C > T625C > NR70V > e310 > T/T > HP h2210 > T/T3 & h4150
StarTac 75 > T28m > T39m > T68m > T610 > T630
RE: Too late...
If I will have to use Markspace's Missing Sync with a Palm, I might as well buy a PPC with WiFi and BT for less than $250.
BTW, the onus is not on me to know which Palm company dropped the ball and announced no Mac support for OS6. The point is that it did not even have to be mentioned, specially the way it was handled.
Cheers,
RE: Too late...
Sorry, but the onus IS on you to know what you are talking about before you start getting sarcastic.
Consider this fictional situation: Holiday Inn says children are no longer welcome. You blast Best Western for not welcoming children...
It doesn't really make any difference because they are both hotel companies???
palmOne and Palmsource are two distinct separate compaines, just like Holiday Inn and Best Western.
Mike
RE: Too late...
children are no longer welcome. You blast Best
Western for not welcoming children...
It doesn't really make any difference because they
are both hotel companies???
While I agree with the sentiment, the reality isn't that clear. First off, remember that Holiday Inn only very recently split into two separate companies, "Holiday Inn properties" and "Holiday Inn Designs". The latter retains responsibility for the architectural design of hotels based on the traditional Holiday Inn brand; while the former is responsible for actually building and managing the hotels.
Furthermore, Holiday Inn Designs widely and prominently decreed that it would no longer consider the needs of children in their future architectural designs, and this quite reasonably upset many familes with children.
It was only much later, and far more quietly, that Holiday Inn Properties subtly let it be known to insiders that despite this, it would continue to modify Holiday Inn Designs architectural drawings before building them in whatever ways might be necessary to continue to support the needs of children. Now, a month or two later, Holiday Inn Properties fairly widely splashes an announcement of a new web site dedicated to the concerns and needs of families travelling with children, where it states clearly that it still considers children important.
Sure, anyone who was closely following the details of the split would know that Holiday Inn Designs doesn't build or manage hotels and that their dismissal of children didn't NECESSARILY mean anything for travellers, who never stay at Holiday Inn Designs hotels anyway. And those same determined people already know that Holiday Inn Properties has said they'll support children anyway (though they have yet to say exactly HOW or to what extent).
But is it really reasonable to expect all casual travellers to understand the distinctions... or to care?
Probably not. ;-)
PALMS MUST SHOW MORE COMMITMENT TO MAC CUSTOMERS
I also COMPLETLY agree with a person who took issue with word ENTHUSIASTS as opposed to USERS, CUSTOMERS!!! Yes we are ENTHUSIASTIC, but the bottom line is we are CUSTOMERS, and we USE are Palm OS devices for BUSINESS, as well as LIFE!:)!
Palm, and I mean both PalmOnea and PalmSource should simply come out and say --
We made a mistake as far as our dropping support of Mac OS. The ongoing success of Apple has convinced us that Apple, Mac OS are here to stay, and that Palm Community highly values Mac OS enthusiastic users, as Palm customers. The future Palm OS 6, aka Cobalt will be available for those who currently own anyTungsten PDA, Treos and newer PDA's and Smart Phones. All those devices will be upgradeable to Cobalt OS.
Furthermore, Palms will offer a complet rewrite of Palm Desktop Organizer which will be FULLY compatible with its Windows sibling, and other PIM's like Apple's Address Book, .Mac, Entourage etc.
In short, Palm's want the WHOLE WORLD to know that we are working Apple on a longterm basis, where Mac users will never be treated as 2nd Class Citizens, and, given then OUTSTANDING Mac OS, Palm and Apple are poised to lead the world's Mobile Computing to new heights!!!
Now... with SUCH Press Release, there would be ZERO DOUBT in Joe Public's mind as to Palm products working with their Macs. THAT would be CLARITY, which is LONG OVERDUE!!!
RE: Too late...
>>We made a mistake as far as our dropping support of Mac OS. The ongoing success of ...
This is idiotic. First - palmOne NEVER dropped support for Macs EVER - in fact within a couple of days after the original PalmSource announcement they made their own announcment saying that they would continue to supports Mac synchronization and implied they were talking to 3rd party providers to bundle a solution. Secondly - PalmSource WON'T be adding Mac support in the future and is clearly not going to apologize. PalmSource - thats the OS company for the those of you who seem to be a lttle challenged in this regard - can't afford to have a whole team working on Mac support when it clearly makes up a minority % of there customers AND they are not making profits as it is. Grow The F up.
RE: Too late...
I switched to Pocket PC with the Palmuptrade program. I now have a handheld that actually syncs to the Address Book with support for both Work and Home fields, as well as categories on iCal. I have a device that runs BT and supports WiFi through a CF card.
I haven't sold my T3 yet, but although there are some problems with running a Pocket PC (most software companies still do not recommend a PPC if you have are on a Mac), the time is coming close to put it on eBay. Just having a new website for us "enthusiasts" doesn't inspire much confidence.
RE: Too late...
But everyone who talks Mac seems to think that it should have exactly the same support as Windows. That would imply that the same number of resources should be allocated to produce it. Not a wise payoff half of your resources dedicated for something that represents a third (or less) of your business.
Not to mention that there is a big difference between palmOne and Palmsource. And, most of you don't seem to be paying any attention to that fact that these are two SEPARATE companies.
I would hazard a guess that better support for Macs might come from a third party product that is bundled in a palmOne offering. Look at the number of people who use something other than the boxed product to sync with Windows!
Mike
RE: Too late...
Probably not. ;-)"<<
Actually, it's perfectly reasonable to expect people to understand with whom they are doing business. The fact that most people don't do any basic investigation beforehand, or before speaking out for that matter, speaks volumes on the poor state of the average consumer's intelligence today. I hate to say that, honestly, but it's becoming more apparent every day. These are the same folks who go out and buy a PDA, then get mad because it didn't do what they hoped it might do, but they didn't research the specs or actual capabilities, or even go to the store and look at one before buying it. Phh.
What ever happened to "Caveat Emptor"?
Take five minutes and get the facts. It's really not that hard.
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
RE: Too late...
"Hey, darling, I'm tired and looks like the children too. Look at that Holiday Inn, let's go there and have some sleep. Oops, wait a moment... didn't they say something like 'we don't like children' or something like that? Well, nevermind, there's a Best Western right here and Mike said it was OK."
RE: Too late...
Thanks for underscoring my point. Isn't it reasonable to check out the basics on likely hotels along your vacation route BEFORE leaving the driveway? Yes, it is. Why do I enjoy my vacations? Because I did the basics of research and planning before the vacation began, meaning I have no need to worry about most things for the duration of the trip, including which hotel I'll be staying at (I made reservations), or what their policies are (I checked that out before making reservations).
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
RE: Too late...
Huh?
Do you mean our Examplenson family had a terrible night because they didn't go into Holiday Inn?
Do you mean anyone here apart from Holiday Inn suffered a loss?
Do you mean Holiday Inn is not guilty of letting potential customers go away because of a misconception about them?
Do you mean Best Western didn't win customers just by not scaring them?
(Just in case: I don't know either Holiday Inn nor Best Western - I'm supposing they both are similar)
Isn't it reasonable to check out the basics on likely hotels along your vacation route BEFORE leaving the driveway? Yes, it is.
Yes, indeed it is.
But does that mean that companies should not worry about publicity because customers should study them anyway?
Why do I enjoy my vacations? Because I did the basics of research and planning before the vacation began, meaning I have no need to worry about most things for the duration of the trip, including which hotel I'll be staying at (I made reservations), or what their policies are (I checked that out before making reservations).
As we saw, the Exampleson Family were indeed aware of *something* that Holiday Inn had "against children". This could have happened just the same while they were planning their trip at home: "we'll stop at this Holiday Inn - no, wait a moment, remember that thing about children - never mind, in front of it there's a Best Western and Mike said it was OK".
Since Best Western looked like another equally good choice, they just tried it. Would you say that this was irrational behaviour?
And would you say that this kind of behaviour is uncommon?
I go shopping for a keyboard. I want it for my Mac. I find 2 equally good. One of them sports a prominent sticker saying "comes with OS X support"; the other one doesn't. Both are USB. I know that other USB keyboards, even the ones "designed for Windows", will work on a USB mac; I know even of third party drivers, and open source drivers, and could even hack the drivers shipped with OS X. But what should I choose?
Buying the one with OS X support means that I'm supporting the manufacturer that is supporting me. It also means that surely I'll have less problems. And finally it means that if it doesn't work with my Mac, I can send back the keyboard to the shop and ask for a refund; no more problems.
If I got the "designed for Windows" one and at the end of the day (after all the efforts) it didn't work 100%, who could I blame? "Hey, didn't you see that this keyboard is 'designed for Windows'? No OS X mention! Why should it work?" (yes, it's stupid, but we know this happens)
And, finally: let's suppose I'm gonna buy a PDA right now, and I don't know wheter a PPC or a Palm would be better for my mac. PalmSource says "no support for you", PalmOne says "don't worry, we'll do something somehow sometime soon", Palm fans say "PalmOne never dropped Mac support - stop whining, you'll have support, you are not 'second class c...ustomers'". So what happens if I buy a PalmOS PDA and the Mac support never arrives, or is as crappy as is right now? Will Palm fans refund me?
I don't think they will, and I think PalmSource needs some punishment for that Mac-dropping episode, and PalmOne needs to get its act together (have you seen this Mac Resource Center? Sheesh!), and PPCs seem an equal choice since Mac support is also provided by (the same) third parties. So...
Big deal
Newton MessagePad -> Palm m505 -> Palm Tungsten|T2
RE: Big deal
Let's take this line of questioning a step further... Second class citizens of what? Neither PalmOne nor PalmSource are a country, republic, city, etc.
Perhaps you are disappointed with PalmSource's decision regarding the Mac platform (I know I am), but realistically, you haven't been wronged in any way, your civil rights have not been violated, and nobody has stolen your firstborn or thrown into prison for your dissenting choice of computer Operating System. In the parts of the world where people truly are treated as second class citizens, such things happen routinely (insert dissenting voice/opinions in place of dissenting OS above).
Let's make the factual part of this very clear.... IT'S A COMPUTER, NOT YOUR LIFE. Put it into perspective and get a grip!
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
RE: Big deal
Perhaps because it's minorities who have to complain to stop being treated as minorities?
About the "second class citizenship": would you say that mac users are "first class citizens"? (forget that "no countries, republics, cities" BS and get to the point)
Let's get specific. Imagine we go to some shop where somebody is about to buy a PalmOne device.
Customer: "So what can I do with this?"
Clerk: "Lots of things! Well, erm, which kind of computer do you use?"
Customer: "A mac, why?"
Clerk: "Oh, ah, OK... well, then there are some minor issues, but don't worry..."
QED?
RE: Big deal
Actually, that IS the point. I wouldn't call Mac or PC users ANY kind of citizens based on their choice of computer.
You however, are finally saying outright what you have proposed all along: "forget that 'no countries, republics, cities'BS...". What that translates into is this: "Forget facts, reality, truth, or anything else I don't want to acknowledge and agree with my fanasy point of view".
Sorry, but you won't find many who are eager to embrace that proposition, even today.
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
RE: Big deal
Newton MessagePad -> Palm m505 -> Palm Tungsten|T2
RE: Big deal
I'll (try to) make you happy and repeat my post, cutting away the offending part and leaving in the important one:
Let's get specific. Imagine we go to some shop where somebody is about to buy a PalmOne device.
Customer: "So what can I do with this?"
Clerk: "Lots of things! Well, erm, which kind of computer do you use?"
Customer: "A mac, why?"
Clerk: "Oh, ah, OK... well, then there are some, erm,
minor issues, but don't worry..."
(see? the taboo word didn't even appear. Now, let's get to the point again: would you please explain how Mac users are "first class" c... er... customers?)
Bye bye Palm
RE: Bye bye Palm
I guess we can take anything and give it a bad spin if we try hard enough.
RE: Bye bye Palm
Let's reiterate AGAIN that it is NOT PalmONE that dropped official support for MacOS, it was PalmSOURCE. PalmOne is the company that will make the handheld and bundle the included software with the items. You don't even know if you are going to have to buy Missing Sync, as PalmOne may choose to bundle it. You're making quite a leap to your conclusion here.
Additionally, the Mac store would still sell PalmOne branded PDA's, becase PalmONE still supports Mac, and will likely sync with it.
>>"I don't think Palm gets that Mac users buy Palms more than the average PC user."<<
Perhaps a greater PERCENTAGE OF MAC USERS buy Palms then the PERCENTAGE of PC users, but otherwise this statement is virtually impossible. I even doubt the percentage angle, but hey, say whatever floats your boat whehter it's true or not, right?
What happened to the days when Mac users were the intelligent people?
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
Nice Start but they can follow through with Email Sync
RE: Nice Start but they can follow through with Email Sync
The same would be true of Mac. It might end up working for Entourage, but nothing else.
The point is that there are so many email clients out there that maybe their programmers should be the ones adding in the capability to sync with your Palm. This is what Chaos Software does with their Time and Chaos program. Another option would be for PalmOne to build a decent email client into the PalmDesktop software.
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
RE: Nice Start but they can follow through with Email Sync
RE: Nice Start but they can follow through with Email Sync
I was only stating what you agreed with, that the email client developers add Sync capability into their clients, either integrated or as a plug-in.
Yes, VersaMail will sync with Outlook email. But I've found it less than useful. Additionally, it's virtually useless without the ability to sync your contacts into the email program's address book. I hate trying to maintain multiple contact lists. PocketMirror does this, and Palm's conduits claim to do it, but the result is not pretty at all.
I believe iSync does this for Mac users, and much more elegantly. Yes, Missing Sync costs money, but so do truly workable solutions for PC users. In my opinion it is something of a wash.
If I offended you, I didn't mean to. Please accept my apology.
_________________
Sean
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
Perhaps Mark/Space will do a better job
Stuart Eichert
RE: Perhaps Mark/Space will do a better job
Pathetic
I know Palm was trying to calm us Mac people whom feel betrayed by the lack of interest in continuing Mac support.
Perhaps now they realize that we are free to go to Pocket PC instead of Palm since we can use the Mark/Space programs for either (add another 40 buck to the Palm's cost).
But posting a page that basically links to a bunch of other sites is just another slap in the face.
How much for an iPaq???>>>>
RE: Pathetic
Nasty.
To those saying "PalmOne never dropped Mac support"...
Then could someone explain how could PalmOne drop Mac support - even if they wanted to? Is there anything Mac-specific in the hardware? Of course not!
In fact I guess they can only offer some kind of indirect Mac support by pointing out to solutions to interface the PDA OS/apps with the desktop OS/apps - just like this half-witted "Mac Resource Center".
The PDA's OS is the (only? main?) real responsible of "supporting whatever" in the PDA! So, if PalmSource decides that Macs are not welcome, then saying "PalmOne still loves Macs" is kinda nonsense. Isn't it?
PalmOne just "loves" (supports) anything with a serial/(USB?)/Bluetooth/WiFi connection!
RE: To those saying
No, not at all. The issue is in the software to synchronize PDA data with the desktop. PalmSource has said it will no longer maintain or support the Mac Palm Desktop. Now, in truth there's been some question as to whether it actually ever did. I recall someone stating that PalmOne may have gotten all that software during the split and PalmSource may have never even had it in the first place. That, I don't know.
PalmOne has said that it will continue to support HotSync with a Mac desktop; though not exactly what form that support will take. (The two most likely would be to make the necessary changes to the Organizer-based Palm Desktop program and conduits to deal with new Cobalt data formats; or to license Missing Sync and package it with their PDAs. Another option would be to adapt an open source software package such as that from KDE.)
PalmOne, in any case, does not simply make hardware and slap PalmSource's OS into it like Dell does with PCs. PalmOS is more like an "OS construction kit" than a final runnable binary. Any PalmOS licensee has to do its own software development to get the OS running on each hardware platform they build. Most do additional work -- both PalmOne and Sony have spent a lot of time rebuilding the calendar and contact databases, for example rather than using the PalmSource versions.
Sue PalmOne
When I watched a friend download an older version of a desktop system into his computer, it had a frame/field for a picture in the address book, it had a button for expenses. The newer version does a little more. How much struggle do any of us have attaching a photo from a seperate program that doesn't sync with the handheld, or have to open the other program to view the picture?
I think Palm should give mac users a $20 discount just for the lack of basic features. I am tired of searching for add-ons, plug-ins and 3rd parties. Leave that sort of thing for the "enthusiasts" who have nothing to do but find what a program doesn't do and tinker on what else it could do, or how better it can be. I have work to do, I am in a business, I travel, I have a life with my kids and family to maintain and I am not enthused about spending my time looking for the same stuff that IBM users have already.
(I never say "PC" when refering to IBM/MicroSoft computers because it means "personal computer", my mac is my personal computer.)
God is as civilized as the priest who teach the people.
RE: Sue all of 'em!
If you don't want those hassles, get a different "PC".
You'll just get different hassles!
I don't think any platform is without it's hassles to be honest.
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Nice to see!
Way to go P1!