Comments on: Opinion: Palm Is Not Going to Fail

Yes, you read that right, Palm Inc. is not going to fail. True, they are going through a rough time right now but their current difficulties are not enough to bring the company down. So if you've been holding off buying a new handheld because you've been waiting to see if Palm would be around next year, I can assure you that it will.

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I agree

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 11:38:02 AM #

Isn't the quote like "What that does not break you will make you stronger?"

RE: I agree

Admin @ 5/23/2001 1:18:39 PM #

It's more like, "That which does not kill you only makes you stronger." -Freidrich Nietze

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Ryan
PalmInfocenter webmaster
webmaster@palminfocenter.com

RE: I agree

eipangan @ 5/24/2001 6:47:49 AM #

It's Friedrich (Wilhelm) Nietzsche.

Peace. :)

Rico

Nice try Ed, but Palm is DEAD

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 3:37:09 PM #

I realize you have your reasons for trying to stay upbeat, Ed but if you are honest and look at the numbers, Palm is dead as a company. Those of us with stock portfolios and who follow business transactions realize this. While you may hope they will survive, I don't see any way thay this is possible.

RE: I agree

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/14/2002 11:23:17 PM #

As an ex-Pocket PC user I got fed up with the constant crashing and financial outlays of accessories and software. While the palm is limited in many ways to the PPC, I have found that is reliability and software availability is much better. LONG LIVE THE PALM!!!

A St. Louis Palm user (believer)!!!

RE: I agree

andrewholler @ 1/17/2003 1:38:00 PM #

of course it won't fail! Look at the huge corporation it built. It has great products and many users of their products.
Look at all of the people here alone.

-Andrew
_______________________________________
Email me about anything at
andrewholler@rogers.com
Current PDA:= Palm M130
by the way, Can someone buy me a TT?

FINALLY!

Coyote67 @ 5/23/2001 12:10:51 PM #

Thank you for saying something I've been trying to convey to people at work for the last month. Bless you ED. Btw, good catch on the IRS thing, haven't seen that mentioned anywhere. This article is so going to my entire department.

OH my god...becky, look at her....Prism.

RE: FINALLY!

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 12:32:49 PM #

What's the story on Osborn Computer? I've never heard of it before.
Good article too. I agree Palm isn't going anywhere but just the fact that Microsoft is lurking in the background annoys me.

RE: Osborn's Sad Story

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 12:45:26 PM #

Osborn's salespeople told everybody who was thinking of buying their computer to wait until the next model came out, which would fix all the problems in their current one. The company didn't have any sales so it ran out of money before the next model was finished. End of company.

I disagree on some points...

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 12:57:18 PM #

Ed,

First of all, I do agree that the Palm OS will continue to be around for a while.

However, how can you say:
"just about all of this[Palm's woes] is self-inflicted. If Palm 's management team hadn't made some mistakes, the company would be in much better shape. Mistakes can be fixed. If Palm's woes were caused by their competitors taking away their business, that would be a much worse situation. In a race, if you are losing because you are doing something wrong, you have a chance to fix it and win. If you are losing because the other guy is just faster, it's hopeless. And this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. There is still time fix things."

I know that you addressed Palm licensees as a "thornier issue" issue later. BUT Handspring took over 20% of Palm market shares in little over a year, that's major competition.

That was just Handspring, what about the other licensees? Sony's first Clie didn't really make an impression on the US market last year, but they came back with the N710C that will surely make an impact this year. TRGpro/HandEra was relatively unknown last year, but with the HandEra 330, they will definitely attract notice.

Last year, Handspring was Palm's only major Palm OS competition, but this year the competition will be three-fold, Handspring, SONY, and HandEra.

I don't view Palm's licensees are "thornier" issues, they are more like spears!!

RE: FINALLY!

jayhawk88 @ 5/23/2001 2:49:19 PM #

Agreed, excellent piece. The most telling line, I think:

"While it is true that Palm sales are no longer growing 100% every year, UBS Warburg estimates that Palm's sales will grow a respectable 20% this year."

Most companies would kill to have a 20% growth rate in sales. I think the free-for-all days of the 90's still is clouding peoples vision when it comes to the computing industry. It's unreasonable to expect this industry to continue to grow like that forever, and now that things are starting to level off, only the strong will survive, just like it should be. And any company that can claim the assets that Palm has is definitely one of the strong.

As long as It didn't run out of cash

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 12:33:55 PM #

While Ed commented that Palm had oodles of cash to last through this difficult period, it not as much as say Apple had. Palm had around 500-600M on hand last quarter but it is expected to lose 170M this quarter plus 300M charge for excess inventory. How much cash will be left after this quarter is unclear. While Palm carry a respected name and should be able to raise cash, it should act fast as the economic slowdown had dried up the market for new funds. Look at Lucent, a once market darling which had its credit rating downgraded to near junk bond status. Still, with its new products in the market, there's no way to go but up. I still believe Palm forecast of 50% drop in sales compared top last year is exaggerated, since the quarter had not ended.
Note: Correct me if I am wrong with the figures, as they are from what I read and I am unsure if I remember them right.

RE: As long as It didn't run out of cash

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 12:52:35 PM #

Unlike Microsoft or even Apple, Palm can't afford to make many mistakes. Apple had around $4 billion in cash, Microsoft, who knows how many, $20B? Microsoft can afford to make clunkers like WinCE 2.0 and stays in the business. Palm can't. One more big mistake might sent its shares plunging and ripe for take over. Still the rebound in Palm shares price the past days should calm some fears.

RE: As long as It didn't run out of cash

Ed @ 5/23/2001 1:05:31 PM #

Palm is going to have a spectacularly bad quarter. Fortunately, it will be over May 31. But Palm deserves credit for taking their medicine all at once rather than a little bit at a time. They are going to lose scads of money and take a big write-off but most of this money is going pay to fix its mistakes. I expect things to be much brighter next quarter. I'm not saying they will be back in the black but they'll loose much less money. And the quarter after that I hope to see them back in the plus column.

You're right, Palm can't afford another major blunder. But they've already made more mistakes than average this year already so I think they are safe enough.

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

RE: As long as It didn't run out of cash

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 8:36:22 PM #

"But they've already made more mistakes than average this year already so I think they are safe enough."

This doesn't make any sense... since when is there a limit to mistakes?

Palm CEO: "The bad news is that we've screwed up four times this quarter. The good news is that we are only one screw up away from our limit!"

Palm Employees: "Hurray! Talk about progress. I bet our competitors aren't even close to meeting their screw up quota. We rock!"

RE: As long as It didn't run out of cash

Ed @ 5/23/2001 9:59:58 PM #

I guess my pre-assumption is that Palm's executive team is reasonable competent. Yours seems to be that they aren't. We'll know for sure in a few months.

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

RE: As long as It didn't run out of cash

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/25/2001 3:00:27 PM #

What happens if Palm runs out of cash? Two words: debt financing. Palm can put out bonds. Sure, they won't be as high grade as bonds put out by any of the blue chip cos., but as long as they get their act together people will buy them. Not all cash flow comes from stocks alone (equity financing).

Hidden mistakes

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 2:15:26 PM #

Palm was wildly successful with the Vx but waited a bit too long to build on that success. They had focused in on the low-end market with the m100/m105, but were criticized for not bringing in the "next big thing" to top the V series, and the VII series was going nowhere. This, I believe, is one of the major factors in their rush to introduce the m505.

I think the 500 series was originally intended to be more of a "stop gap" measure to satisfy people who wanted an upgrade to the Vx, at least until OS5.0 and ARM-based processors were introduced in Palm products. That's what I think it appears to be, based on its feature set. Yes, the botched release of the product was a big-time blunder, but the underlying problem in all this is the real appeal of the 500 series in light of its inflated expectations. The premature announcement made the m505, in particular, look like it should be the "ultimate" Palm, but it really isn't, which is one of the reasons why Sony is able to steal some thunder. Don't get me wrong--if I didn't already own a Vx, I'd jump at an m505. But I do own a Vx, and I haven't seen enough extra "beef" in the m505 to attract my cash.

I relate it to quarterbacks. Troy Aikman, the latest "franchise quarterback" of the Cowboys, has retired. At the height of his career, he was the "state of the art" QB, but as time progressed, Cowboys fans wanted new skills--more mobility, etc. Aikman's gone now, and the Cowboys have signed Tony Banks, who brings more mobility, but is probably not going to be considered a "franchise quarterback." Now, I know Banks has had a somewhat lackluster career thus far, and this fact doesn't quite fit the analogy. BUT, bottom line is that Banks is intended to keep people satisfied until the next "franchise player." Don't expect TOO much of him, and you'll be happy. Well, don't expect TOO much of the m505, and you'll be happy. Here's hoping Palm hasn't unwittingly created outrageous expectations of the 500 series...

RE: Hidden mistakes

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 7:58:45 PM #

Under your analogy, though we're paying Tony Banks a Troy Aikman salary.

(Don't get me wrong -- I like my m505. But the argument against it is that it is a bit lackluster for the price. It is not a good response to say "Oh, as long as you expect lackluster, you won't be disappointed. If I want Tony Banks, I should pay a Tony Banks price. If I pay a Troy Aikman price, I should get Troy Aikman. I think my m505 is a Peyton Manning. Not flashy, but clearly gifted.)

RE: Hidden mistakes

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 8:27:20 PM #

If someone had said it was a Peyton Manning, I would have gotten one before! At least it isn't a Ryan Leaf like some people say it is.

Palm OS Emulator under development.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 3:06:01 PM #

Palm better hurry up, because a new emulator of Palm OS is being develop for pocket PC right now. will be done in the coming month.

RE: Palm OS Emulator under development.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:04:57 PM #

The new Palm machines will be oriented to use dedicated hardware like the new Clie, so I want to Know how this can be emulated on the Superslow WinCE.

Another fact is if PPC people want to run palm software why not buy a palm????

RE: Palm OS Emulator under development.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:37:59 PM #

How much would that cost. The PDA hardware that is required to run CE is very expensive and takes up a large amount of space.
Pay $500 to run PALM apps on a CE? Why not just get a PALM.

RE: Palm OS Emulator under development.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 7:07:35 PM #

if you have a palm app emulator you can have the best of both worlds, pocket pc's awesome graphics and sound capabilities and the palm's enormous amount of programs

RE: Palm OS Emulator under development.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 7:15:51 AM #

...while I don't believe this is going to happen, it would a good thing for Palm, not MS: If you look at the history of Personal Computers, emulators have always helped the emulated OS, but not the machine it runs on. Why? If PPC users can run Palm applications on their machines, why should anybody develop a PPC version of that particular software?!

Just look at the Mac as an example: Those PC/Windows emulators are sign of the weakness of the Mac market (i.e. too few software titles compared to the Windows world) and haven't helped Apple at all. Same thing would be true for the PDA world...

one thing most people may be over looking

rajen @ 5/23/2001 3:28:11 PM #

Since Palm has been forced to do this firesale on old Palms there could be a surprising upside....

Palm's marketshare may increase. They may be able to take some of Handspring's marketshare back and could take back some of the marketshare Pocket PC (mainly the ipaq) has taken.

In addition, I view the adoption of Palms as a snowball. The more and more people buying Palms at cheap prices ... the more word-of-mouth advertising Palm will get. The number of people using Palms could possibly increase very rapidly.

RE: one thing most people may be over looking

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:36:39 PM #

No way will Palm take back market share from Ipaq.

RE: one thing most people may be over looking

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:43:50 PM #

> No way will Palm take back market share from Ipaq.

Why not? The PPC is an over complicated OS suited only for the most hard core Gates kissers. Palm is much easier to use. Compaq sells lots of iPaqs but I wonder what the return rate is. Seems I hear lots from people who tried it then gave it back because it wouldn't last through their whole work day.

RE: one thing most people may be over looking

sub_tex @ 5/23/2001 10:28:09 PM #

i like the snowball analogy better than the football one........

all that quarterback talk..............snowball talk is much easier.

heh.

but to address the "complicated OS" comment, that's a very lame argument, again tinted by personal preference. we may as well be arguing over mac os vs. windows. it's a stupid argument to try and bring up , because, like so many other factors that go into what pocket device you run, in the end it all boils down to what works best for YOU.

RE: one thing most people may be over looking

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/28/2001 12:36:46 PM #

Actually, I'm one of those who dropped th Ipaq for a m505... Sounds crazy doesn't it...

You get tired of lugging the Ipaq in your hand all the time because it's too big for your shirt pocket... and at the end of the day, it's always when you left it at your desk/in the trunk inside your briefcase that you need your PDA...

And let's not talk about having the Ipaq in a belt case.. on the right, the mobile phone, on the left, the Ipaq... Where do I put the gun?

Okay, the m505 does not come close to the Ipaq in terms of screen and readibility (no way close) nor does it come close to memory extension ease of use ... (oops my Ipaq is having a baby...)

But at least, I've my m505 with me all the time w/o people asking me to show it to them because that's the first thing they see when I enter a room...

My belief... you buy the Ipaq because it looks great and when you have gotten used to it you move back to a M505 because you finally know what you really need in a day to day life...

Listen to all the Ipaq users who are using it because Microsoft/Compaq pulled some weight with the IT department...

Get real

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:33:57 PM #

You have no idea what you are talking aobout and should stick to reviewing PDA's rather than giving financial advice. The facts are Palm will run out of money in November and they do not make enough money on licensing to stay in business. I'm betting they will be bought soon. I am also betting the quality control problems they are having with the M505 is going to cost them alot of money.

RE: Get real

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:47:33 PM #

So you're saying that a company that makes the OS that is on 80 or 90 percent of the handhelds in the world can't get a loan?

There are no "quality control problems" on the m505. Palm just made some tradeoffs that you don't like. Good thing lots of other people like it fine.

RE: Get real

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 5:18:17 PM #

i have to disagree with your statement that there are no "quality control" issues with the m505. I have compared different 505's next to eachother, some with fully functioning sidelights, others with ones that only light half the screen, etc. This situation has been widely experienced (i.e. it's not just a matter of a couple bad units). I love the 505, too, but there ARE differences between units, which spells quality control difficulties in my book.

RE: Get real

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 10:47:52 PM #

Palm has a huge problem with the fact that they are not at all focused on their customer, that will be their downfall.

RE: Get real

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 2:45:53 PM #

The Palm m100 gave me some similar ideas about quality control as well. My first purchase had a scracth on the cover. Since it annoyed me, I exchanged it for another one. The second one had a touch screen that was positioned too far from the LCD. In addition, the faceplate was overly wobbly compared to the first one. I returned that one too. The third one was still a bit different from the others. The defects were few, but there were deep scracthes on the faceplate. Each m100 seemed to be too different from each other.

I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 4:58:43 PM #

No matter what you guys say about m505, the fact of the matter doesn't change. I love my m505! It's a great machine!

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 5:09:37 PM #

I second that.

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 5:48:07 PM #

I third it. I have been using Palms since first release and the 505 is the best unit out. The main tradeoffs that people are concerned with is the screen.
Works great for me. Having the capability of color and in direct sunlight is great. The backlight takes care of the rest. I am the only Palm trainer in my area of the states and all students that have seen the 505 compared to the others units as well as the CE units agree that its a nicely designed package. It comes down to this "say what you do and do what you say". Palm has been doing this for years. Those that dont like it, dont buy it.

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 7:53:02 PM #

I have a IIIc and I also have the capability of color in sunlight

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 9:30:59 PM #

I used to utilize a Palm lllc, and I do a lot of car driving, forget about the lllc, I was getting crazy trying to guess phone numbers.

Now I am the happiest customer with my M505. IF ONLY THEY COULD SUPPLY A HOTSYNCH CABLE-SERIAL to connect it to my cell phone, I would make a couple of bucks selling my lllc... and then I could buy a SD 128 MB wowwwwwwww

RE: I love my m505

EGarrido @ 5/23/2001 9:58:39 PM #

I, too, love my m505.

Eric Garrido

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 10:02:55 PM #

me too.. and I think Palm will make it..

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 11:22:40 PM #

I too am very satisfied with my m505. I'm a previous Vx owner and there are plenty of improvements in the M505 to keep me happy.

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 9:30:22 AM #

OK, that's all of SEVEN people who've posted that they "love the m505." And you know what? Good for you. You got a PDA that you like. But don't confuse your happiness with the product and assume that means it will definitely match the success of the V series, or even the m100.

I agree with the assessment that Palm will not fail. But I don't think the m505 will be the unit that take the company to the "next level," as the V did. The m505 will perform solidly overall, but that's about it. Palm's final success will be based on learning from the success of the V series as well as the pitfalls of the m500 series, then using those as a springboard(NO pun intended) toward their next offering, which, hopefully, will revolutionize portable computing like nothing before it.

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 4:08:11 PM #

hey what about me? I love mine too! I'm not as fond of my m500 as my m505, but it isn't fair to complain about free stuff.

Palm has my undying loyalty for the free stuff they've given me (way up over $1000 last I counted) and I have no intentions of supporting microsoft!

-Pepper

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 4:13:02 PM #

you guys like the m505 because you haven't seen sony clie 710 yet. Trust me you'll regret for spending that much on an OK screen machine. Yeah, form is very important too, but you don't think that screen is even more important? what do looking at when you use your palm? form? i don't think so

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 4:25:45 PM #

I've seen the sony clie and it's okay, nothing more, just okay. so get over it, if thats what you want to buy, then buy it and shut the f*** up!

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 4:45:38 PM #

well, it's amazing that i have up to 7 people who like the m505 screen. I can't imaging how many people will be disappointed with their clie

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/29/2001 11:19:00 AM #

Add another satisfied m505 user. The screen is not as bright as other handhelds, but you can't beat that tiny size, cool case, and effortless upgrade from earlier Palms. BTW mine was assembled in Hungary and it has no problems at all.

RE: I love my m505

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 2:18:46 PM #

I'm so happy for you. Go and play with the machine some more.

A sucker born every minute

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 2:29:58 PM #

Any one of you m505 owners want to buy my used Tercel from Toyota for 125,000 dollars? It's small, comfortable, and reliable. Sure, it doesn't provide the speed or glamour of a red Ferrari 360 Modena, but you can get something that can be driven DAILY and something that has better GAS MILEAGE than a gas guzzling Ferrari 360 Modena. So, if you have the desire and the money, you can reach me at

1800 555-a sucker born every minute.

I'm just playing. I own a Palm too.

Will Palm drop prices again soon to get rid of inventory?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 7:54:40 PM #

Maybe m100's for $99??? Vx's for $249???? I think it's coming within 3 months. What ya'll think?

RE: Will Palm drop prices again soon to get rid of inventory?

EGarrido @ 5/23/2001 10:00:01 PM #

Well, your dream is here... kinda.

Palm™ m100 83.85
Palm™ m105 129.35
Palm™ IIIc 179.40
Palm™ Vx 179.40
Palm™ VIIx 119.40

Those are the developer prices which were just lowered today.

Eric Garrido

RE: Will Palm drop prices again soon to get rid of inventory?

sub_tex @ 5/23/2001 10:33:36 PM #

holy crap. when do those prices go for consumers? i'd buy a 3c for $180 in a second. heck, i payed 200 for my IIIxe.

RE: Will Palm drop prices again soon to get rid of inventory?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 7:53:21 PM #

those are only for top level members who pay around $100,000 for there membership.

RE: Will Palm drop prices again soon to get rid of inventory?

CarlJ @ 5/24/2001 10:45:38 PM #

"those are only for top level members who pay around $100,000 for there [sic] membership."

Bzzzt. Wrong, but thanks for playing. I signed up as a developer a couple years ago, I've never been asked to pay Palm a dime, and I received the emailed offer from Palm, and can access the order form on their site.

RE: Will Palm drop prices again soon to get rid of inventory?

EGarrido @ 5/25/2001 7:08:43 AM #

I concur that those prices are for the "free membership" level. I've never paid anything to Palm in regards to this program, but I'm still eligible for those prices.

Eric Garrido

Palm's Woes?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 9:24:37 PM #

Good article, but tell that to my measly 100 shares off stock that are worth a fraction of what I paid for them. That's the bad news, the good news is I love my Palm VIIx. In general I just like the Palms better. I was in Best Buy today and looked at a new m505, I like what I see, but am going to hold off until the next generation of Palm VIIs are out (if there will be such a thing). I like to have the web-clipping internet access. While I was looking I did a bit of comparing with Palm to Handspring, I must admit I just don't like the look, or feel of any Handspring. As far as the PocketPC, they look and feel good, but I need a longer battery life, anyway just my 2 cents.

RE: Palm's Woes?

watts @ 5/23/2001 10:51:46 PM #

There will be no more Palm VII's.

RE: Palm's Woes?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2001 11:05:15 PM #

Depends on what you mean. There will be a successor to the VIIx, it just won't be called anything like that. Look for the m700 to be out by the end of the year.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=1875

RE: Palm's Woes?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 2:31:09 AM #

I'm doing my part for the palm-economy. Just parted with $500 for a Kyocera 6035 after much thought and consternation.

I had outgrown my 2 meg PalmIIIe and single mode StarTac. Like the handera a lot, but that plus a cable, plus a tri mode new StarTac would run me the same as a Kyocera smartphone so I asked myself do I really want to juggle two devices and a cable all the time? NO!!!

So I got my critical business software installed, got my 147 contacts, daily todo lists, calender items installed, grabbed the palm portal and away I go checking email with eudora, surfing with eudora web to sites such as http://209.221.153.18/smallsites/ , downloaded a couple pqa's, I'm voice dialing, calling in orders (from handyshopper 2.0) to vendors on the speakerphone.

I'll probably have to go to a higher minute plan on Verizonwireless because I envision using the web a lot.

I hope this phone lasts me till bluetooth is out.

David in Pflugerville, TX

Well Said!

PalmLuver @ 5/24/2001 3:55:04 AM #

I fully agree. Palm will continue to be *the* handheld maker. All you bad press out there should give Palm a break!

RE: Well Said!

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 2:16:23 PM #

Why don't you say something like that?

No Doubt!

Ken Johnson @ 5/24/2001 10:00:05 AM #

Palm didn't become the leader in the handheld industry by accident. Their problems are all doe to internal mitakes and can be fixed. Palm has an extremely large and devoted group of followers who wouldn't consider buying a PPC or even a Handspring. Despite their troubles I am replacing my IIIx with a new M505. I'm quite confident they'll be around when I want to replace my M505.

RE: No Doubt!

wilco @ 5/24/2001 12:50:37 PM #

While I am among the 'hardcore' Palm user who will not switch Handheld OS soon, Palm should not rely on this group to fuel growth. Look at Netscape , Lotus, Corel, and Apple, these are companies who had hardcore users and at one time, majority market position in their respective areas. Palm should be forward-looking and give what the market and users wants. Try to stay ahead of the competition. Palm should look at innovations Microsoft is doing, try to improve on the good ones and integrate them into the OS. Microsoft is good at this craft, just look at the improvement of Pocket PC over Win CE 2.0. Palm should do the same, 'less they become the dinosaur in the PDA world.

RE: No Doubt!

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/24/2001 2:37:00 PM #

I agree with wilco. Palm's strong user base won't let it die without a fight, but Palm must not rely solely on that. I personally believe that the m505 is a good machine, but not enough to allow Palm to rest for a while. It should be considered the transitional machine(someone called it "stop gap"--good term) from the III/V series to the ARM-based machines. A nice stopover on the journey, but NOT the final destination. Palm needs to keep working toward that goal.

[ No Subject ]

den aucoin @ 5/24/2001 12:17:04 PM #

Long live PALM

RE: [ No Subject ]

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 1:52:44 PM #

Unless I owned stock in a company, I wouldn't care if it died or lived.

[ No Subject ]

darryl @ 5/25/2001 12:23:22 AM #

i agree. Im very happy with my m505. Keep up the good work palm.

OKthen,all you Palm Faithful - go buy 10,000+shares of PALM

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/25/2001 8:49:25 AM #

IF you REALLY believe in the company, put your MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS!

RE: OKthen,all you Palm Faithful - go buy 10,000+shares of PALM

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/29/2001 1:50:20 PM #

You are so cool

Sony CLIE N710C now available - this is why Palm will fail.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/25/2001 3:53:39 PM #

Fry's stores in California have received initial shipments of the new color CLIEs. All other Palm OS PDA displays pale in comparison to the CLIE's display. Palm should have never licensed their OS to Handspring and Sony. They are about to see their hardware sales (and all profits) killled off by Handspring and Sony's new color PDAs. $10 OS licensing fees pale in comparison to $150/unit hardware profits.

RE: Sony CLIE N710C now available - this is why Palm will fail.

Satan @ 5/25/2001 4:15:37 PM #

Above post by Satan.
The Sony frenzy is about to begin. Once m505 owners see the Sony screen, there are going to be a lot more complaints being made to Palm. It's probably too late for Palm to admit they made a mistake with the screen compromises in the m505. Had they issued a recall right away, they potentially could have avoided the nightmare that is going to play out over the next two weeks.

Oohh! The two week nightmare!

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/25/2001 4:52:33 PM #

Stop smoking crack and pay attention to the facts. Palm has made no mistake, and besides you and your stupid friends, nobody's gonna buy it. There will be no nightmare, because nobody gives a ****.
Get a life.

RE: Sony CLIE N710C now available - this is why Palm will fail.

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 1:56:11 PM #

These people work for Palm or own shares in Palm. That's all. Either that or they need to feel as if they are a part of some group.

what about wireless ?

s.co @ 5/26/2001 4:50:42 AM #

I live in Switzerland and i hope for wireless devices...but who are there ?

No wireless for the Swiss or the French!

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 10:13:41 AM #

Handspring vs. Palm

Luke Skywalker @ 5/26/2001 8:38:42 AM #

I think that the reason Palm is falling is that they don't offer as many things as Handspring does. I own a Visor because I likef the expansion capabilities. Just face it, Handspring Visors are a bit ahead because people think they can do anything with them. Palms, I believe are not appealing to consumers anymore.

That's BS. Palm was behind but passed them with the m505.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 10:04:38 AM #

Look at the latest/greatest offering from Handspring - "The Edge" - give me a break. It's like a Palm V of 3 years ago. And if you want to expand it, you need to attach a huge sleeve on the back of it THEN you need to put the Springboards on it. There goes the lightweight, thin feature! AND it's Black and White!!! And no Flash! The Prism is a brick with a screen you can't see on a sideview and blanks out in any direct light. Palm is the original. Hawkins created a great product with the original Palms, and Handspring and Sony (and MS) have helped push Palm to innovate and that is a good thing. But Handspring really has nothing to offer vs. the m505 right now. MAYBE they can pull something NEW out of their ass in the next 6 months, maybe not. We'll see. SD Peripherals will be here and the expensive, big, bulky, Springboard will be obsolete (if it's not already).

handspring is going PPC

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 3:56:35 PM #

In a recent e-mail from handspring to the hardware beta testers, I was recently informed that handspring was going to start supporting microsoft by turning PPC! This sucks, I LOVE handspring, but i'm unwilling to use that microsoft shit

RE: Palm is DEAD

D-man @ 5/26/2001 12:55:01 PM #

You may very well have a point that Palm has made it's mistakes, HOWEVER, Palm HAS made significant changes, the 505 will eventually dominate the market. In addition, far too many fail to realize that Handspring and others are blatantly screwing thier customers by not offering Flash ROM units. So if you have one, you have to buy new just to get a higher OS. Most Palm units have Flash ROM, and are upgradeable. Handspring is like Microsoft saying "Oh, you want Windows XP? I'm sorry, but you'll have to buy a new PC with XP pre-installed...". Palm is making advancements, and the future is bright. They won't make the same mistake twice, I expect Surprise announcements, and no more leaks. Ther advancements in the Customer Relations arena will soon make their support second to none.

RE: RE: Palm is DEAD

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 3:28:16 PM #

xp suxs it will only let you install it twice and its microsoft

XP WILL RULE!

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 4:02:40 PM #

RE: RE: Palm is DEAD

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 1:58:39 PM #

XP is good then. It is like a beautiful young girl. It sucks.

apple all over again

chicken little @ 5/26/2001 9:30:04 PM #

all this was caused by palm's own arrogance,they simply refused to accept that people wanted more than "simple" and "8 megs" as evidenced by them waiting out for the existing model line. Palm cannot survive on the volume it generates from "hardcore" users,it must listen up and cater to its mainstream users if it is to remain dominant. "Microsoft is at the gates" and it is time to stop calling them a non-threat

Palm's survival

Scott Calkins @ 5/26/2001 11:03:04 PM #

As a new owner of a Handspring, I beleve and hope that Palm would not go under. All Palm OS users would suffer if Palm Inc. died. United we stand, devided Microsoft marks another notch in its belt.

RE: Palm's survival

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/30/2001 1:45:12 PM #

Why should I unite with a company whose share price is destroying everyone's dinner. You go with sinking boat. I'm getting a raft.

Windows-Cracks to WinCE, Palmusers for Palm

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/28/2001 10:14:35 AM #

Concerning: CE vs. PalmOS
Hi

Excuse my bad English, I am from Germany

I often talked to Windows-CE-Fans... Of course they are enthusiastically talking about "their" system, the one and true system which avoids any barriers concerning the possibilities and synchronization.

But for people like me, who use Linux, Unix, BeOS, other non-MS-Products, "something" different, "individuals" - we need PalmOS. PalmOS ist supported by the most OS on the market, many hotsync-tools are available for Linux etc. That's a reason why Palms will always be bought - the true unlimited possibilities.

Me, I think MP3 and Media Player is good, but I don't need it at my Palm Device. As we can see, PalmOS can also play MP3-Files (CLIE), so I needn't change my system, it's much too stable and too cheap, because WinCE-Handhelds are much more expensive.
I'm a pupil, then I will study. We haven't any money left for buying expensive technical toys, but a palm, m100 for instance, can also be bought by us

Furthermore, MS has enough money. In my opinion, the Windows and Internet Explorer-world is enough. If they can find their way into the handheld market, they have monopoly position and can decide about the handheld future, can create their own standards (as they are known to do in several cases). That would be VERY bad.
The argument of selling good things does not count here, not, if a monopoly position can be achieved

Happy to read your comments.

Sorry again for my bad English

PHOEnix

Model M505 P.R.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/31/2001 9:13:21 PM #

Currently a M100 user, just last week received M505. After waiting for it since mid-March, learned from Palm Comments that Outpost.com had them ship same day. It was received in P.R. in matter of hours. So far I do not have complaints nor even with the screen and the color. It was assembled in Hungary.

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