Comments on: Rumor: Palm's Hardware Upgrade Program (Updated)

Palm will soon begin a program in which old, broken, Palm-branded handhelds can be exchanged for discounts on new ones, according to an anonymous source who says he's a Palm Tech Support Agent. In order to get the discount, owners should call Palm Tech Support and describe to them the broken handheld. They will supply a promo code that will allow the customer to purchase any Palm handheld that does not have an expansion slot at a discount. The broken handheld does not have to be returned to Palm.

Update: Palm has posted the official page for this program onto their site.

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It's a crap

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 9:03:01 AM #
If you have a broken IIIxe, will you spend $200 just for a Vx, without color and expansion slot? Or will you spend $85 for a m100?

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 10:58:52 AM #
Agree ! All you will get is another crap and it's not for free..

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 11:32:46 AM #
Palm is desperate to get rid of excess inventory without taking a loss; their "Hardware Upgrade Program" is just another attempt to do this.

RE: It's a crap
kevdo @ 10/16/2001 11:38:00 AM #
I didn't hear anyone complain when Handspring offered a similar discount as an incentive to buy the Edge.

If your old Palm is trashed why gripe at the discount? Any discount is better than the no discount you had yesterday! Jeez... I am so Goddamn sick of all this Palm bashing. It's like they've never done anything right...

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 11:40:44 AM #
If you don't want the discount fine.. keep your broken palm and use it as a doorstop.. But if you want to bash, go get a pocket PC and then you can start bashing them! It really gets old that as soon as a new story comes out about Palm, the first people to post are the bashers. Take it somewhere else...

RE: It's a crap
Ronin @ 10/16/2001 11:47:29 AM #
I agree, it seems to me that anything Palm does is the subject of bashing no matter how innocuous the action.

As to my comments on the actual post, I think this is a great idea. It may help Palm to reduce old inventory and less (if any) of a loss and possibly a small profit.

It also provides a replacement track for those that are not interested in the lastest and greatest but think that the features of the Palm they had with possibly a better screen and a different form is enough. Also it may provide a track to give Palm's to new users, for example, a user has an old broken Palm that has already been replaced, in the spirit of the holiday season, this user wishes to share the wonders of Palm computing with another less computer literate soul, 'TADA', Palm's Hardware Upgrade Program is just what the doctor ordered. A kodak moment if I ever hear of one, as on Christmas day little Jimmy opens his new Palm device and the user is pleased because he has shared the joy of the Palm OS with yet another individual at a discount price offered for a piece of discarded techonology that would never be used again anyway.

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:55:27 PM #
Absolutely agree. Itīs a great idea. What is worth a broken machine? If you have a broken PPC, do they offer you some kind of discount? No, they make you buy a 600 bucks battery eating brick...

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:09:49 PM #
If this trade-in idea is so great for customers, then wouldn't it be even greater if it applied to the m500, 505 and 125? I think that's what people are really complaining about.

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 3:19:13 PM #
You are totaly right, that's what the problem is !
Palm just want to get rid of their inventory.

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 3:42:28 PM #
What would you do? Do you expect them to give you a m505 as a gift? Buy one or stop whinning.

RE: It's a crap
Ronin @ 10/16/2001 6:21:38 PM #
Quote:
If this trade-in idea is so great for customers, then wouldn't it be even greater if it applied to the m500, 505 and 125? I think that's what people are really complaining about.

Quote:
You are totaly right, that's what the problem is !
Palm just want to get rid of their inventory.

Now if I understand these two posts correctly, they think the offer is crap because it does not include the entire Palm product line. In other words, the offer is not generous enough. Sounds like whining to me.

I refer to the comments of 'kevdo' and the person after, for people with this mentality, Palm will never be able to do anything right.

RE: It's a crap
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 11:32:41 PM #
I can't see why you all are so upset. Its a very smart move for palm. They can slim themselves down so they can start growing again. It sounds like they are trying to get a fresh new start in the pda race. People want something recent and not out-dated, so only the new models will sell. This update program just rids palms inventory of older models so they can focus on the new. Not only does it help palm, but the owners of older models. I know some people that would like an upgraded palm from the one they are using (palm v). Now they can buy a newer model than they have for cheap.

Time for meta-moderation

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 11:58:47 AM #
Ed,
I hate to say it, but I have to agree with the folks above. the PalmInfocenter boards, once a great source of industry discussion, have become the haven a of a lot of fifteen year old sounding discussion. Personally, I don't think comments like "iT 'suz '" are terribly usefull. I know you do your best to keep crarp off the boards, but It seems like it might be time to go to a more advanced moderation system. Have you looked into using the slashcode meta-moderation system. The system has allowed Slashdot to remain a good source of intelligent comments despite it's incredible popularity. It encourages well thought out posts, which are sometimes lacking here. Not a criticism of you, just an idea.

RE: Time for meta-moderation
Moosecat @ 10/16/2001 12:31:47 PM #
Taking your suggestion, I just looked at some reader comments on Slashdot for the first time, and I immediately ran into piles of useless, profane tripe. I'm not sure what system they use, but it didn't seem to work very well to me.

I think pdabuzz has it right -- those forums are by far the most civil and informative I've seen. A good 80% of posters are registered, and the unregistered ones are generally well-behaved. The forums on Pdabuzz are integrated with the article comments, so there is no separation between the two.

RE: Time for meta-moderation
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:41:43 PM #
I agree COMPLETELY! This site used to have very informed, literate discussion. Now it's degenerating into something along the lines of palmstation.com. Time to do something about it.

As for the rumor, I think it's a reasonable strategy for Palm to employ. People with now-useless Palms can get something for a discount; Palm can move inventory without losing money. I believe that's what they call "Win-Win."

RE: Time for meta-moderation
sford @ 10/16/2001 12:45:47 PM #
Agreed! I, too, belong to PDABuzz as well, and there is definitely a difference of late. Though it did not used to be this way, more and more it seems that the people who are the first or more prevalent to post on PIC are the bashers. Bottom line: negative, critical opinions are usually just not that useful. This is a source of *information* -- you know, Palm-INFO-center, which yes, includes or -- it is not a forum for opinion slinging and user bashing, as it seems to be becoming. (They have other sites out there for that!) Again, this is no reflection on you, Ed. Frankly, I think you've got some great patience! But, I do think some sort of comment filtering might be in order.

If you've got an opinion about a product or news story that adds some value (informative, clarifying, etc.), great! BUT, if you've just got a bone to pick with Palm, or anyone else, keep it to yourself. Nobody cares.

Well, that's my $.025, anyway. :)

RE: Time for meta-moderation
jumex @ 10/16/2001 12:50:21 PM #
Yes, I must also agree that the comments we place here would benefit greatly from methods of rating replys. For example on Slashdot I filter out replies lower than 3 (out of 5) and that generally weeds out most of the bad ones.

--
Trevor Menagh - http://trevreport.org/
PDABuzz sucks
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:52:05 PM #
Moosecat you're wrong. PDABuzz completely sucks. The articles are so PocketPC-biased you get brainwashed just clicking on the links.

RE: Time for meta-moderation
sford @ 10/16/2001 12:54:54 PM #
Oh yeah! ;)

As for the concept of the or itself, it's a great idea, as long as it is implemented well.

If anything, I think it should work a little more like www.usedpalmpilots.com, where you send in your old one and get a new one back. I don't want the old one lying around, and they could refurbish and resell them.



RE: Time for meta-moderation
GregGaub @ 10/16/2001 12:57:00 PM #
Yes, the meta-moderation is great, so long as you set the filter appropriately high, like 3 or 4. If you set that as your preference, you pretty much never see the garbage.

RE: Time for meta-moderation
rldunn @ 10/16/2001 12:57:55 PM #
The above comment is an example of what everyone is talking about. To the previous poster, the point of comparing to PDABuzz is not to say that they have better or more appropriate content, but that their response boards are better behaved. Of course, with the type of comment that you've just posted here, you probably got kicked out of PDABuzz and have a bone to pick.

Ed, just wanted to further reiterate the point that PIC is still the place to go to get your articles, which are always timely and relevant. It's just the reponses that have gotten out of hand.

No thanks
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:03:21 PM #
The thing is fine the way it is right now.

Those posts may not be very impressive, but they are not "out of hand" either. They are just reflecting all sides of a story.

Its Forum also has tons of junky posts, even posted from its own moderators (you know who you are.)

We just need the news.

pocketPCPassion.com much better
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:26:30 PM #
I agree that PDAbuzz sucks. www.PocketPCPassion.com is much better.

RE: Time for meta-moderation
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:31:59 PM #
I disagree for the need of a moderation or meta-moderation system. Such systems invariably do more to encourage trolling, karma-whoring, and abuse than they do to prevent it. Slashdot is the perfect example of this: The highest rated comments are usually good, but at the expense of probably 80-90% of the rest of the crap.

It seems to me that the front-page stories are the biggest problem-childs around here. Perhaps simply restricting posting to logged-in users on all front-page articles would be a good solution?

RE: Time for meta-moderation
CKMOOSE @ 10/16/2001 1:47:18 PM #
I would also like to see posts limited to Logged-in members.
Maybe also eliminate the "Post Anonymously" feature. I find it hard to take a critical post seriously if it's from someone who's afraid to state their screen name.

RE: Time for meta-moderation
kevin @ 10/16/2001 6:02:18 PM #
i would have to agree with the above post. no one should be able to post with signing up. first of all signing up takes what 2 minutes. second of all if all the people who make dumb posts sign up a system could be set up so that if they commit enough offensives they get kicked

RE: Time for meta-moderation
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 12:46:29 AM #
"all the people who make dumb posts sign up a system could be set up so that if they commit enough offensives they get kicked"
Kevin.. I agree that some form of sign up should be created, but then who would determine who gets kicked. How about this, have an anonymous e-mail comment forwarding.. that way, if you talk the talk, you can catch the flack for it.... :)

RE: Time for meta-moderation
madhatter @ 10/17/2001 1:07:42 AM #
my bad.. forgot to login for the previous post

A Palm in hand is worth two in your pocket.
Slashcode!
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 2:14:25 AM #
It's free! It's fun! It lets you browse without wading through tons of garbage if you want, while letting the teenybopper flamewaring idiot trolls have their say!

Try it today! http://slashcode.com


Simple Business Strategy

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:14:21 PM #
Palm wants to get rid of excess inventory without taking a loss; their "Hardware Upgrade Program" is just another attempt to do this.

RE: Simple Business Strategy
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:59:10 PM #
If so, whatīs the problem? Many people will get benefitted. You may keep your broken PDA. And you may buy one at full price...

RE: Simple Business Strategy
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:05:26 PM #
So What.....
More power to them.

RE: Simple Business Strategy
c_t_s @ 10/16/2001 1:46:18 PM #
Some day people will realize... not everyone wants the latest and greatest. I think the idea of a "trade-in" for older stock is great.

I still have my IIIx and will keep it until it dies.

thats cool

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:11:36 PM #
now I can get rid of that broken-screen m100 that I had and buy a VX for my wife as a christmas gift, give her old m100 to my sister as a christmas gift, and all this for only $200!!! Last year i bought 3 m100's for me, my mom and sister for $500!

thats not cool
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 12:47:05 PM #
You're going to give your sister a used gift for Xmas?

RE: thats cool
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:13:14 PM #
And it wasn't even your m100 to begin with!

RE: thats cool
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 11:17:15 PM #
Not only that, but hopefully, this isn't the same sister that he gave an M100 to last year, because what are you going to do with a used M100 when you have one? Of course, that means that last year, he really stiffed this second sister.

Restrictions

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:14:58 PM #
Just curious, why does the "upgrade" have to be for a BROKEN unit? I want the $100 discount off the Vx, so I should first throw my old III out the window? You figure Palm could at least reuse parts in old working units for repairs and such...

RE: Restrictions
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:18:41 PM #
Sorry, on re-reading I see you don't have to return the "broken" device to Palm. So basically anyone with a serial number can call up and get the discount... not a bad way to move inventory after all I guess.

RE: Restrictions
CKMOOSE @ 10/16/2001 1:52:46 PM #
Palm wouldn't want the broken units for repair because that would leave them with more old stock as well as overhead costs for repairing them.
The program sounds like a good idea to me.

Yankowksi is a genius!!!!

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:25:16 PM #
Now I know why he gets paid the big bucks!

hmmmm...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 1:27:14 PM #
hehe

Ehat the hell is palm doing

randomguy1900 @ 10/16/2001 2:17:39 PM #
I dont think tat I have ever seen a company so desperate to get out of the toilet then this.....he is a business tip that will work a lot better. Stop sellng crappy handhelds and this might stop sony and handspring from takingmore of your market. I am going to allow my self to say one thing good about Palm they are trying, even if they dont know what they are doing(there I knew I could in good faith say something good about these guys).

Rob

website

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 3:29:17 PM #
http://store.palm.com/upgrade/


there ya go

Palm is a business, Is that such a hard concept to grasp!

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 4:03:40 PM #
Palm is a business, they want to make money. They have excess inventory. They offer a steep discount to get rid of older models it. Newer models that are selling well are not eligible for the discount. Deal with it and stop the dam whining. Go for the upgrade or not but do the rest of us a favor and form a Palm bashing site and get off the board until you can grow up and enter a rational and mature discussion. Most of us don't always agree with some of Palm decisions and strategies but we are capable of not acting like thwarted 2 year olds.

RE: Palm is a business, Is that such a hard concept to grasp!
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 8:42:52 PM #
I agree. This looks like a good idea to me. Not only are they trying to move stock but they reward existing customers! Another approach might have been to collect the broken units, repair them and give them to schools, but this would likely have been rejected due to the cost.

Why only for US customers???

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 11:30:14 PM #
Sorry for bashing Palm on this one, but why are all the european and asian customers left out on this one, AGAIN???

robbb

RE: Why only for US customers???
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 2:48:28 AM #
well i live in asia, and i own an old palm pilot professional.

if you want, you can have the "description and serial no." of my unit so you can avail of this discount.

i'll put if up for sale on ebay... starting bid is $25
8^)

RE: Why only for US customers???
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 9:04:31 AM #
Now that's not bashing, that is a perfectly legit question and if I was a non US based customer I'd be ticked off. I feel bad that no one else thought about that until now (we know Palm didn't)

RE: Why only for US customers???
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 9:31:19 AM #
It is very expensive to send handheld from the US of A to Asia. There are portions of the taxes of import that they specially have to be paid that eats upon the discount, when the Palm would have probably to pay them. Probably more money than is value.

Definition of 'broken'?

GrouchoMarx @ 10/17/2001 2:15:57 AM #
How broken does a device have to be before you can use it for the discount program? The site doesn't specify. I have a Palm III, for instance, that works except for the backlight. The capacitor for the backlight fell out last winter, and it doesn't work any more. Does that qualify as "broken" enough to get a discounted IIIc or Vx?

RE: Definition of 'broken'?
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 3:56:29 PM #
Oh, by the way guys, I just bought the IIIc for $169.00 after getting the promotion code. That's really not too bad of a deal. $130 off of the retail price isn't that bad for an upgrade program.

RE: Definition of 'broken'?
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 4:32:02 PM #
Broken is broken.

RE: Definition of 'broken'?
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/19/2001 3:43:08 PM #
tell them its broken. its the same as broken

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