Michael Jordan Palm Officially Launched

Posted By: PR Monday, June 18, 2001 9:52:55 AM

PTN Media and Michael Jordan have just announced the Michael Jordan editions of the Palm m100 and m500 that will be sold online and in selected stores. The Palm m100 ($159) comes with a black faceplate and flip cover with the Jordan name in silver on the front. The Palm m500 ($425) has the Jordan logo on the top left-hand corner.

Both models feature several applications, handpicked by Jordan including:

  • Quotes from Michael
  • MJ Trivia
  • MJ Training Tips -- A guide to staying fit by Michael's personal trainer.
  • MJ Pinball -- A pinball game customized with a basketball theme and Michael's digital autograph.
  • Shotchart -- A basketball scoring application. Users can keep track of their favorite player or an entire team and can follow one game or an entire season.
  • Blackjack -- Full version of the card game.
  • MJ's Restaurants - Locate all of the information on the Michael Jordan Restaurants.
  • TotalCarMJ -Users can track all their car needs with this application. It allows them to record everything from mileage to insurance premiums and even get maintenance reminders.

On the Web:

Article Comments

 (46 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

Down View Full Comment Thread

Wow

jayhawk88 @ 6/18/2001 9:56:58 AM #
Michael Jordan: redefining the term "Hero Worship" for over a decade.

Quotes from MJ? Training tips? TotalCarMJ?

I didn't think it possible, but this thing is even more ridiculous that I had thought possible.

RE: Wow
Binks @ 6/18/2001 10:06:54 AM #
I totally agree. Since he has retired how much more money does this guy need? What has he done that deserves this kind of thing. How about a Nelson Mandella Palm, or a Dalahi Lama Palm. Geezus its all about the money.

RE: Wow
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 10:09:10 AM #
Ridiculous is an understatement. Is this really the right product for the Jordan fan market? And is it really necessary to make half the software nothing more than Jordan marketing? I'm surprised there isn't a Washington Wizards ticket-purchasing program, or Nike ad pop-ups.

This thing is going to tank big time. I hope they haven't hung a lot of earnings expectations on it.

Waste of Resources
Reed @ 6/18/2001 10:14:22 AM #
I agree with all of you. Palm is trying to appeal to cell phone teenagers with parent supplied disposable income with these celebrity Palms. This is sad because I consider these devices gimicks with limited market appeal and takes away Palms focus on designing truly innovative next-gen PDA's. This confirms why Handspring and Sony have surpassed Palm in cutting edge hardware and their ablility to bring products to market in a faster cycle than Palm. This reminds me of the battle in the Graphics board market between 3DFX and Nvidia. Nvidia was able to release their hardware in an agressive timely schedule, while 3DFX fell behind and was finally bought out by Nvidia. I would hate to see Palm bought out by Handspring, Sony, IBM or Apple, but if Palm keeps up with gimicky hardware like this, this will become more likely. Palm was just surpassed in profitibility by the Compaq Ipaq today. Are you listening Palm CCO?

RE: Wow
Islander @ 6/18/2001 12:00:06 PM #
Correction.
It was 'PREDICTED' today that the Compaq Ipaq would surpassed Palm in profitibility.

These people have a history of wrong predictions about Palm.

AAAHHHHH
superbenk @ 6/18/2001 12:29:30 PM #
I am SO happy!! I get to sleep tonight!! Michael Jordan approves of the apps I love. I was so worried.

PS. You guys think Michael Jordan likes himself or anything? :) Just curious cause I can't quite tell.

RE: Wow
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 4:28:06 PM #
The iPaq is gracefully surpassing the Palm. It's time Palm quit buying MJ and Claudia. They need to spend the money on R&D- no more resting on their laurels.

Look how great the Sony color Clie's are doing! People don't want backwards compatibility in there PDA's. They want new multimedia features..

NOT MJ's digital signature on a B&W screen!!!

Please . . .

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 10:11:52 AM #
Tell me this is a joke . . .

If it's not, it's just another nail in their coffin. I am losing my brand loyalty faster than you can say 'lame hardware and stagnant software'.

RE: Please . . .
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 10:18:52 AM #
So you think that reaching out to new markets is dumb? Your plan for Palm is to just keep marketing to the same people that have always bought them? I'm glad none of you are in charge of Palm's marketing department.

How can you increase your sales if you don't try to sell to new people? Look, geeks have bought all the handhelds they can for a while. But there are a lot of people who aren't geeks who can benefit from a Palm. What's the purpose of having the easiest to use handheld on the market if you only try to sell them to geeks?

Are you saying that a teenage black kid is incapable of benefiting from a Palm? I hope you aren't harboring some racism.

You're probably the same guy who thought the Claudia Schiffer Palm was dumb, too. So you think women have no use for the Palm? Why, should they stay home barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?

Palm needs new markets. If Michael Jordan can help do that, great. Try to keep your personal biases under control and see the big picture.

RE: Please . . .
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 10:33:45 AM #
I wonder how many Claudia Schiffer Palms were sold? In any case, I will never buy the
Jordan Palm until they add a hardware spritzer to the cover, so that I can freshen up with
Michael Jordan cologne while I'm eating at an MJ restaurant and reading MJ's batting and golfing tips.
Since we live in phony, politically correct world, let me quickly note that I'm not a racist, only a
moronicproducist, where I discriminate against silly hardware. All your Palm are belong to us.

RE: Please . . .
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 10:36:22 AM #
I am seeing the BIG picture. From a cultural perspective I'm frightened by the lack of critical thinking that success of this type of market ploy may engender.

Blacks, women or geeks buying a Palm on the basis of its use and how it can improve their lives speaks to the intelligence of the people involved. Geeks, women, or Blacks buying a Palm because Linus, Claudia, or Michael say they should speaks to the stupidity and sheep mentality of those users.

I agree with Palm trying to seek more markets. From a stockholder perspective (which I am), I hope this search for new markets is successful. From the perspective of continuing to respect my fellow human beings, I hope this Jordon initiative tanks big time!

RE: Please . . .
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:43:48 PM #
"Are you saying that a teenage black kid is incapable of benefiting from a Palm? I hope you aren't harboring some racism. "

It is more racist (and insulting) to assume that minorities will not buy your product unless you slap on a basketball player on the cover. There are better ways to market these devices and they are too expensive to brand like this.

2c

Nike, Gatorade, MCI use Michael

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 10:33:19 AM #
All of those companies are much much larger than Palm. If the goal is to make Palm another apple, then you geeks are right -no Michael. If the goal is to have the masses check out Palm, then there is no one in the world better to sell Palms that Michael Jordan. Hmm, what if Nike, Gatorade, and MCI all bought Jordan Palms, now this is an enterprise play. Maybe Palm shouldnt sell product to big companies either.

500 color?

Cheetah @ 6/18/2001 11:17:26 AM #
Is the Jordan 500 a different color? (ie. like the Claudia Palm V)

Overall I'm not excited about this, but can't see how it would hurt either. I don't see Palm spending much time or money on these "special editions".

Also, I think they did a Jordan Palm BECAUSE the Claudia Palm was a success.

RE: 500 color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 11:55:04 AM #
Actually the Jordan deal was signed before the Claudia devices were shipping. If you look at the sales figures for the first quarter, total revenue on the Claudia Palm was $177K, not much.

RE: 500 color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 12:05:13 PM #
$177k may no sound like much but that translates to 590 Palms at $300 a piece. It's also 11.8 Palms per state. But you need to discount the smaller and less advanced states. That's not too bad.

You got to remember also, that not every store carries these things.

But it is a nice alternative(as with the limited edition Palms) to the standard Palms that are selling. And if they were all sold at the same or relatively same price, it'll be nice to have some variety. It's a good way for Palm to bost incremental sales. I really don't think Palm expects to sell a lot of these things anyway.

RE: 500 color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 1:27:14 PM #
$177K??? 590 Palms??? According to the mercurycenter posting referenced below, PTN is paying Jordan ONE MILLION for the first year alone. They're going to have to sell a heck of a lot more than 590 Palms to make any money.


Britney Spears is next!

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 11:19:37 AM #
I'm sure that Palm has tried to contact her re: a "Britney" model of the Palm...pink and all!

I'm selling my palm because of this..
How emberassing.

RE: Britney Spears is next!
EGarrido @ 6/18/2001 11:38:12 AM #
You're selling your palm because of a marketing scheme that doesn't even affect you? THAT's rediculous.

Statistically speaking, a product has a better probability of selling if you attach a well known celebrity to it... So what happens if a few kids like MJ so much that they buy a palm with his name on it? Nothing really, but it's good for Palm and it's good for those kids if they like it. Palm also sees these marketing gimmicks as future potential. If you get someone who has never owned a Palm before buying a Claudia or MJ (or Britney!) palm simply because they like that celeb and they want to be more organized, and if that person becomes hooked, they'll want another, better model.

Granted, I am positive that I'm not going to run out and grab a "mj500." All I ask is that people look at these sorts of things at more than one angle, however stupid it may be.

Eric Garrido

RE: Britney Spears is next!
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 11:56:03 AM #
Actually, Christina Aguilera has already been signed by PTN Media. They are next. You can find out more about that by going to the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, searching their EDGAR database on PTN Media.

Hey you! You with your nose in the air! Yeah you!
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 1:33:18 PM #
"I'm selling my Palm because of this."

What the hell is wrong with you?
Are you trying to prove something with this transparent statement pleading to sound angry about something that has nothing to do with your PDA? Is your Palm now functioning improperly as a result of some stasis field being produced by the mj Palms? It must be a result of trying ot mix mike and microchips. :)

I'm sorry, man. But if you're really gonna ditch your Palm because you don't like MJ or the marketing ploy, then you're worse than the people you claim are stupid for buying an MJ Palm. Think about what you said? Do you really care that much about it? I'm mean really?


RE: Britney Spears is next!
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 4:15:38 PM #
I think that a Britney palm would be a hoot! What kind of apps could you put on it? How about one of those four-leaf clover folded paper thingys that girls used on the school bus to divine who had a crush on them?

Of course a mirror program would be important...

A customized address book...

Lyrics to the songs (for the thoughtful reader)

I think it's time to lighten up about all this--the more I use my palm, the more I think that EVERYONE needs one. Maybe some people will get one because of Jordan.

Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 12:23:51 PM #
I haven't read this anywhere else. Not on news.com or anywhere. Please let this be a joke. If this is true, they will sell even less than the Claudia version. I can't believe this is what we have been waiting for all these months. This is ridiculous! I can easily put the letters "JORDAN" on my black m100 and get the apps from somewhere else! What a joke! I hope this is not true, or else this is the nail in the coffin for Palm. According to everything we have all read about Palm's problems, this is not the answer. They better get out of the hardware market then. Cause they can't build anything even if the company depended on it!

RE: Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?
skytraveler @ 6/18/2001 2:24:26 PM #
Calm down and get a life.

The SkyTraveler
RE: Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:36:31 PM #
See http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6310012.html?tag=mn_hd

Any other questions?

RE: Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:43:08 PM #
Check out the time stamp on the initial comment. Why don't you guys relax and get a life. It's not wrong to have abit of hope that this could have been wrong. CNET is usually first to report, but they weren't this time. But the fact of the matter is, this product sucks and so do you.

RE: Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 3:14:01 PM #
Did anyone read the CNet article? The "genius" behind the Claudia Palm and the MJ Palm said:

"At the end of the day Michael Jordan will do almost as much for the Palm economy as Jeff Hawkins."

RE: Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 3:18:33 PM #
Yes, and MJ will get his $3.5 million even after they sell only 100! Now that's a genius! If he had settled for only a percentage of items sold, he would lose big time!

RE: Why is there no story on this anywhere else like CNET?
Ia3n @ 6/18/2001 7:07:02 PM #
he would lose big time? Yeah, he's really betting a lot on this... letting them use his name. He wouldn't lose anything by going for a percentage of sales, he just wouldn't gain nearly as much as he will be going for the $1 million or whatever. I just hope that thing was true, about it being a separate company, not Palm that's doing this.

More details in SJMN

Cheetah @ 6/18/2001 12:55:15 PM #
San Jose paper had an article at:

http://www0.mercurycenter.com/business/

More details:
- Jordan Palms will be Black
- Will be sold at Wizards games and advertised in ESPN Magazine
- Also will be sold in Jordan's restaurant and in some sports stores
- indicates at the end of the article that Claudia Palm didn't do that well, and ended sales last month


don't blame palm... too much!

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 1:21:13 PM #
I'd just like to remind everyone who doesn't like this idea (me included) that like palminfocenter said, the claudia and mj palms are the brainchild of PTN media, NOT palm, inc.

RE: don't blame palm... too much!
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 9:52:12 PM #
Is Palm not providing the units to them or are they building these themselves? Palm is to blame too, they know their bottom dollar. The more people buy Palm units, the greater their market share grows. Whether it is MJ, Pokeman or Pamela Anderson special units. They don't care. They have a real problem brewing over there, and this my friends, is the least of their problems. They should pull their heads out of the sand and focus on the real issues. They all should have quit before the MJ unit came out.

Palm's version of "Visor Is..."

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 1:50:44 PM #
It isn't going to take much out of Palm to add a stamp to a finished Palm device, or run another mould for M100 covers.

All this is saying is, "this is what Palm means to Michael Jordan." It's saying, "a Palm is not a geek toy. It's a real tool, and has purposes outside of the being a glorified organizer." It's saying, you don't need to be a harried executive type or a pocket protector wearing network administrator to want to use a Palm." The Michael Jordan Palm is saying that Jock-types and coaches can keep track of a player's game easily - because ShotChart is a great app for doing just that. It's also saying that that market can kill some downtime by playing something other than snake on their cell phone.

It's Palm saying that anybody can have a device that does what they need it to do. And it will cause people to sit up and take notice. Those of us who hit the forums know exactly what a Palm can do - the general public doesn't. And it's promotions like this that let the public know that for less than 300 bucks, you can get what you need in the Palm of your hand. Handango is proving it with their pre-installed bundles. Palmgear is doing the same thing now, except they are letting buyers choose the software package that they want included.

I just hope that this gets more coverage than the Claudia Palm which, as far as I am concerned, never got any real exposure.

I agree with some though that the software package could be a little more robust. The basketball fan may think ShotChart enough, but a professional - someone in the industry - might need a little more. But it's a start. And I do hope that the M500 still comes with Documents-to-Go etc.

RE: Palm's version of
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:07:55 PM #
The Claudia Schiffer Palm didn't get much coverage? Time Mag, USA Today, The Tonight Show, Fast Company, among others is not much coverage??

RE: Palm's version of
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:18:10 PM #
I agree to what the poster said.. Palm is opening new markets here.. an attempt to make the Palm ubiquitous.. make people own a Palm like as if they are owning a watch.. next thing you know.. Pokemon Palm, Pamela Anderson Palm, X-files Palm, Tiger Woods Palm, Andre Agassi Palm, you name it.. it's breaking into the markets of sports, fashion, video-games, etc.. Palm is making it fashionable to have a Palm. At the end of the day it will still benefit us... the consumers.

RE: Palm's version of
Ia3n @ 6/18/2001 7:12:18 PM #
yeah, a Pokemon palm! That would sell. It would be cheaper to get an m100 that came with some kind of Pokemon thing than to get a gameboy and a pokemon game (At least it was when my little brother got his). I bet you if there was a Pokemon thing for the Palm my little brother and about 30 other little kids he knows would all be able to beg their parents into buying them a palm. Even though they'd all sit on/lose/drop/otherwise destroy them in 2 days.
For the record, my parents did not buy me my palm.

Who'd want this?

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:11:32 PM #
The thing's just a handheld ad for MJ. He should be paying folks to carry it. Who'd want this unless, of course, your name happens to be JORDAN then it's kind of a neat personalized thing.

Over and out,
Wayne

RE: Who'd want this?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 2:17:31 PM #
it comes with applications that youd have to pay for so you kinda get a deal

RE: Who'd want this?
Ghandhi @ 6/18/2001 2:39:07 PM #
If he pays folks for carrying it around, shouldn't you get paid every time you buy a Nike shirt with their logo, or you buy a hat with the Lakers name embroidered on it? These are things people purchase because they support not just the product and its quality but because they like the subject matter, here it is MJ, on a hat it's the Lakers.

RE: Who'd want this?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/18/2001 11:38:59 PM #
Just for reference, Palm m100 are also turning up on blister packs at Target. I saw one and thought it was a great idea. The folks who don't own a Palm may not shop at the electronic stores.. as a matter of fact, my wife can't stand an electronic store... so sell it in a blister pack hanging from a peg and let more people see it. Put a Michael Jordan logo on it, or a Nike swoosh, so what? Did you ever take a school supply to school with your favorite cartoon, superhero or sport star on it... or buy a watch, or have you priced a favorite football jersey.. it can set you back the price of a Palm. Heck Wheaties have been doing for years.. why not Palm.

Top View Full Comment Thread

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: