Palm Clarifies Its Support for the Palm OS
Palm CEO Ed Colligan has released an open letter to the Palm Development community. In his letter, he makes clear that Palm will continue to support the Palm OS and that new Palm OS handhelds and Treo smartphones are on Palms product roadmap. Colligan is addressing concerns that Palm's support of Palm OS is short-lived given the announcement of the Windows Mobile Treo. Read on for the full letter.
Dear Palm Developer,I'm writing to you today because I'm concerned by the number of posts I've read that suggest that Palm's support of Palm OS is either wavering or short-lived. It is neither.
I thought I had made this perfectly clear with earlier statements, but let me reiterate that our announcement on Sept. 26th that we'll broaden our line of Treo smartphones to include ones made on the Windows Mobile platform is all about growing the Treo market. We want to deliver the Palm experience on Windows Mobile, strengthen our company's ability to deliver ever-more capable solutions and answer current and potential customers' requests for a Windows Mobile-based product from Palm. This is not a zero-sum game! This market is in its infancy, and if we can expand our opportunities by being a strong cross-platform provider of world-class smartphone products, then we should do so. At the same time, this does not mean we need to walk away from our existing products or technology partnerships, like Palm OS.
It's a fact that a large majority of businesses around the world use a Microsoft-based infrastructure across their IT assets. And many of those companies simply aren't open to products that use another OS. Some of our carriers also have been asking for a Treo on this platform. Finally, many end users in the world are attracted to the familiar Windows user interface. We can either answer that marketplace demand with a Windows-based product, or we can walk away from that business.
We have a rich product roadmap of Palm OS-based handheld computers, mobile managers AND Treo smartphones that we intend to deliver. Our Palm OS customer loyalty is extremely high, and we intend to continue to earn that loyalty with great Palm OS-based products. We have sold more than 30 million Palm OS-based products over the years, and it is not our intent to walk away from such a strong and loyal user base. That's why in May we extended our license for Palm OS, giving us the right to continue to make and market Palm OS-based products until 2010.
So, I'd like to ask you to look at our Windows Mobile news as a way to expand our market opportunity. We have every intention of continuing to support our Palm OS developers and to encourage the expansion of the already rich array of consumer and enterprise applications and peripherals for Palm OS. We're pleased Access has initiated the purchase of PalmSource because we believe Access has the resources to really invest in and develop Palm OS.
Net net, I believe that developing differentiated, software-rich products on a range of industry-standard platforms puts us in a unique position with customers and carriers and helps us expand the market opportunity for us, the developer community and everyone involved in the smartphone category. I hope you will agree.
Regards,
Ed Colligan
Palm, Inc. president and CEO
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RE: Never underestimate PIC's knack...
Gah! One of these days I'll learn to read what I've written before I click the Post button.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
Software Everywhere blog
www.pikesoft.com/blog
Written from the heart...
Its seems to be a sincere, personally written letter and not some PR fluff. Good for him.
Surur
Not very strong.
This letter does not address the uncertainly that is swirling around the tech beehive. Does Palm have a vision or strategy for the future of the Palm platform vs. a Windows Treo?
"[The Treo] in the Windows Mobile platform is all about growing the Treo market. We want to deliver the Palm experience on Windows Mobile."
This could be impossible since Palm has very little input into Windows Mobile. There is a limit to what can be done, since any modification will break compatibility with the existing WinMob ecosystem. A Palm skin over Windows Mobile may not be very much, but we will have to hope there's more. What's left is the solid hardware, but that's a bit like Compaq and Gateway.
"We have a rich product roadmap of Palm OS-based handheld computers, mobile managers AND Treo smartphones that we intend to deliver."
Wonderful, but not a very strong vision for developers to stick with Palm. He makes this very point in the letter -- how extensive the Windows infrastructure is.
The common notion around the tech world is that Palm has gone to windows and this letter is not strong enough to change this reputation. It's actually a strong sales point for shifting over to WinMob.
Palm is in transition from being Apple to being Compaq -- a hardware developer for Windows Mobile. That being said, I enjoy my Treo 650 immensely and will continue with the Palm side of things as long as possible.
RE: Cannibalism Feeds the Monster
In marketing 101 (should you ever decide to pop back and finish that liberal arts degree) you'll discover that any new product decision must take into account possible cannabalism, market expansion, and contribution factors, among others. :)
For example, if a product contributes highly, or grows the market, or both, it may be definitely worth cannablism. In the wince-Treo case Palm is generating market exapansion. Obviously anyone who wanted a Treo with Palm OS *already* has one. Thus the wince-Treo *adds* new users who would have gone to one of the clunky brick-like wince-phones. :)
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
RE: Cannibalism Feeds the Monster
>spank< :)
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
RE: Cannibalism Feeds the Monster
RE: Cannibalism Feeds the Monster
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
Writing on your Palm
Kirvin, you REALLY need to get back to writing your crappy science fiction serials that no one wants to read. It must hurt you to see that no one is actually willing to PAY for any of the crap you spew out. Is this why you've started "publishing" your screed on Palminfocenter?
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
Am I being pedantical? :)
Hey, if you don't believe it's a word, look it up... :)
http://www.bartleby.com/62/39/P1103950.html
Preferably before you open your mouth and look silly. :)
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
RE: Cannibalism Feeds the Monster
Remember: "errare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum".
Spank the microsuck shills, Ed! :)
Hilarious! The microsuck FUD machine has been cranking on *overtime* trying to spin the wince-Treo into something other than an admission of failure by microsuck! :)
Of couse, if there was a *single* wince licensee in the entire cosmos that could match the Treo, microsuck would have dumped their cash there, instead of dropping millions on a direct competitor. :)
And now all that shill overtime has gone down the tubes, wasted. What a shame. :)
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
There [are] no...American infidels...in the city of Baghdad.
Dear Palm Developer,
I'm writing to you today because I'm concerned by the number of developers I've read that are pi$$ed off because they realize that Palm's support of Palm OS is both wavering and short-lived.
I thought I had made this perfectly clear when I sold the OS down the river as Bill Gates stood by smirking during my embarassing announcement on Sept. 26th that we'll be focusing our line of Treo smartphones to showcase the one that businesses likely will prefer: Windows Mobile. It's all about milking the Treo market as long as we can while spending as few development dollars as possible. Business wants Microsoft and we have previously failed to attract business customers because of our own lack of a clear corporation-focused strategy, so the Windows Mobile Treo is a cheap, simple "fix". We like cheap + simple. This is a zero-sum game! We will not be able to support PalmOS 5, PalmLinux AND Windows Mobile all at the same time, so we're jumping on the Windows Mobile bandwagon... at least until we find out if PalmSource can pull off a Hail Mary with PalmLinux.
This market is in its infancy and we've blown the huge lead Handspring had handed to us on a silver platter 2 years ago. At the same time, Microsoft offered us a cheap, easy "solution" in exchange for our souls. Mr. Gates now is the proud new owner of our souls.
We had a chance to appeal to business over the years and become the de facto standard. We blew it. Repeatedly. Now we have sold out in the name of a quick buck. Deal with it!
We have a confused product roadmap of Palm OS-based handheld computers, mobile managers AND Treo smartphones that we can't deliver. Our Palm OS customer loyalty is sinking quickly, but we intend to continue to milk that loyalty with weak Palm OS-based products until even the Palm fanatics recoil in disgust. We have sold more than 30 million Palm OS-based products over the years, but the fad is over and we're playing out the string and going through the motions so we can keep that gravy train going as long as possible. In May we extended our license for Palm OS, giving us the right to continue to make and market Palm OS-based products until 2010 because we thought we could be clever and create a poison pill that would discourage any competitors from buying PalmSource. We've been waiting to buy back PalmSource from the day we sold it and even fronted them $30 million to keep it out of the hands of shareholders. But that all blew up in our face thanks to those a-holes at Motorola being so desperate for an OS.
So, I'd like to ask you to look at our Windows Mobile news as proof that we have no loyalty to users or developers. We have no intention of continuing to support our Palm OS developers or to encourage the expansion of the weakening array of consumer and enterprise applications and peripherals for Palm OS. We're shocked Access has initiated the purchase of PalmSource but at least Access isn't as threatening to us as Motorola. Plus, we put that clever poison pill into the PalmSource contract a few months ago that guarantees us PalmOS as long as it will matter. By the time our contract expires, people will have REAL desktop OS variants on their handhelds and PalmOS will be obsolete.
I believe that milking our starving assets dry and flogging a moribund horse is what Palm has always done best. Also we're good at being arrogant, wasting money, missing OBVIOUS market trends/opportunities and screwing developers at whim. I hope you will agree.
Regards,
"Baghdad" Ed Colligan
Palm, Inc. president and CEO
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
RE: There [are] no...American infidels...in the city of Bagh
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
RE: There [are] no...American infidels...in the city of Baghdad.
Kirvin, that's a question you more accurately should be addressing to Mr. Colligan.
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
RE: There [are] no...American infidels...in the city of Bagh
I think I swallowed my tongue twice trying to stop from laughing. That is beyond hillarious!
You know, there is a real business opportunity in what you just did. Maybe a lawsuit too, tho? Start a web portal that takes each days breaking financial press releases and does this kind of translation. It could be huge! Probably help investors more too. :-0
When you hit the big ca$h, remember little me.
Again, This is a classic!
Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com
RE: There [are] no...American infidels...in the city of Baghdad.
Only if I get a cut of your Treo design fees!
;-O
TVoR
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
RE: There [are] no...American infidels...in the city of Baghdad.
We'll see if you're saying that in a few months...
[cue mysterious music]
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
Sigh of relief.
RE: Sigh of relief.
RE: Sigh of relief.
RE: Sigh Not
IBM did run with WIndows OS with their OS/2 platform. It was then game over, and they recently vacated the PC business.
RE: Sigh of relief.
Running windows on OS2 was a desperate move from a company that just got sucka-punched by M$. It was game over when the first commercials ran to the tune of "Start Me Up".
Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com
Palm reads posts????
The world will end in 2006. Just as it was predicted in the bible along with the release of Microsoft Longhorn.... :p
RE: Palm reads posts????
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
Software Everywhere blog
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Palm reads posts???? Of course they do.
Ummmm... when have they not? Even back in the Usenet days there have been Palm people everywhere. Power users/early adopters on fan sites act as unpaid beta testers, providing invaluable feedback to Palm. From the beginning we've seen regular posts to PalmInfocenter (both anonymous and "official") from various Palm and PalmSource employees. Several so-called "leaks" to Palminfocenter and PalmStation regarding upcoming devices were actually just calclated publicity stunts by Palm. While valid contributions from these employees is always welcome, the pathetic Astroturfing and spin doctoring as practiced by a few Palm/PalmSource employees is truly odious.
Michael Mace was too naive to take seriously, but I will continue to "out" people like Marty Fouts who feel they can manipulate Palm supporters with their specious posts to the fan sites.
TVoR
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
RE: Palm reads posts????
The pathetic astroturding and shilling by microsuck employees (and the odd former loser-daytrader like yourself) is even *more* odious. :)
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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."
RE: Palm reads posts????
Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com
RE: Palm reads posts????
The world will end in 2006. Just as it was predicted in the bible along with the release of Microsoft Longhorn.... :p
RE: Palm reads posts????
Gee - on behalf on Palm OS users everywhere: thanks for the service! We are trully indepted that you are look out for our interests!
dipsh!t
RE: Palm reads posts????
I'm still waiting for the mythical "color HandEra."
Morons
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
RE: Palm reads posts????
This priceless - Bozo Simony not know how read or quote. He idiot.
Bozo Simony: you funny. You big dipsh!t.
------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------
The Palm eCONomy = Communism™
The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038
NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823
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Never underestimate PIC's knack...
Thanks for the extra clarification of something that should really have been obvious to anyone really paying attention: Palm's commitment to Palm OS.
I think Colligan is probably more referring less to posts that have happened here than to some gnashing of teeth that took place on the Palm Entrepreneur's Forum, but in any case it's good to be really clear about this stuff, especially if you're going to be slinking around in the bushes at night with the Redmond boys.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
Software Everywhere blog
www.pikesoft.com/blog