Comments on: palmOne Closes Shanghai Office
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A good spanking for PalmOne
The Valley is a good place to start up a new idea but when it comes down to hard margins, volume and distribution deals, there are to many at PalmOne's helm that are still sipping their latte's on University Avenue in Palo Alto as they try to think of an ideal world.
Frankly, this is the butt kicking that PalmOne needed to have them set their game straight. Lick the wounds, move on, get a Palm OS 6 out the door and quit resting on your laurels!
RE: A good spanking for PalmOne
I think Palm should quit making handhleds. Focus on developing an OS platform which can be adapted on current awsome PPC hardware. I love the PPC hardware, but PPC OS doesn't feel right, no matter what. Imagine a Dell X30 or Dell V50 with Palm OS 6...
I wish they make a Treo with the specs below:
Such as 624 mHz, BT+Wi-Fi+Quad Band GSM
This is my dream machine I guess...
Cheers...
Palm III>Palm IIIx>PalmV>PalmVx>Palm m505>Palm M515>Tungsten T
Dell X30 624Mhz w/BT+Wi-Fi
Nokia 6600 w/BT
RE: A good paddling with leather + chains for PalmOne
Don't you believe that Palm is now two different companies?
PalmSource made something like $10 million from licencing PalmOS last quarter. And I believe if you total all their income + expenses, they still managed to lose money for the quarter. Do you really think they will ever make any significant profits as a PDA OS company? Not unless their OS was to get included in a decent percentage of the millions of cheap cellphones being sold around the world. At $10 a pop, it's gonna take a lot more sales to make PalmSource a stable, independent company.
Pa1m0n3's revenues for the same quarter were around $270 million, and they're now making more per PDA than they have in quite a while. Do you still feel they should stop making PDAs?
Palm could easily get the same companies that make PPC hardware to make Palm hardware. If Palm wanted to. But for years, their beancounters have been recommending the cheapest construction they can get away with, in an effort to maximize profits. Now this strategy has turned around and bitten Palm in the a$$. The problem is, once you lose momentum in this market, it's hard to recover.
Palm needs to:
1) Focus on quality control - it needs better contract manufacturers, better parts quality and better after sales support. C r a p p y QC is driving Palm's reputation into the toilet. So much for the good Palm name.
2) Focus on saturating the market with high profit Treos - playing the "shortage" of units game when the Treo 650 is launched would be just plain silly.
3) Pare down its offerings to just 2 (or at max 3) traditional PDAs and add a stripped down Treo (priced less than $200 with contract).
No more BS, Palm. PPC smells blood, and Palm's looking like it's ready to get Netscaped. Funny how no one ever believes how fast former market leaders can fall. Until you wake up one morning and they're gone.
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
Death Spiral
"Death can come swiftly to a market leader. By the time you have lost the positive-feedback cycle it's often too late to change what you've been doing, and all of the elements of a negative spiral come into play." - Bill Gates, "The Road Ahead", Chapter 3
PalmX is dead
Please let this be a nighmare from which I can wake up to a kick-ass Palm OS 6.1 device? But somehow I think Palm OS 6 is super-borged, otherwise we'd all have a choice between a T|E 2 (no slider plastic case and no vibration (sound familiar)) and a T|T5 running OS 6 with metal slider case and vibrating alarm) by now.
MST
RE: ....So is the PDA industry
If that were the case the PDA market would die along with Palm because Linux is even worse than Windows Mobile. Frankly much of this "atrocious" Pocket PC experience described by people here can be attributed simple platform bias. Just look at the numbers; HP is is rivals PalmOne. Do you think consumers buying all these iPaq have done so with a gun pointed at their heads? They're buying them by choice, and that says a lot about how the average consumer differs from PDA geeks who hang around enthusiast web sites.
I use PalmOS and PPC hardware and find each to be as worthy/unworthy choices as the next mobile device. In fact, the Tungsten T5 currently holds to record for most bugs I've ever encountered on a mobile device. The same holds true with personal computers; of which I own both Mac and PC. Each has it's own idiosyncrasies and utility.
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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com
...huh?
Who is this "everyone?" The only people that are sad Arafat is gone are the Palestinians and the liberal media. The guy was pretty much a terrorist...
(Why do some people say you can kill two birds with one stone when it's hard enough killing one bird with two stones?)
What a screwy article
I can't comment on anything specific about palmOne, but I can assure you that PalmSource has a strong and growing commitment to the Chinese market.
Mike
CCO, PalmSource Inc.
Time for some damage control. Let's trot out our old pal...
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
RE: What a screwy article
JLM.
RE: What a screwy article
Thanks for the vote of confidence. We need encouragement around here right now. With what P1 has offered as high end, I think has the Palm sheep very nervous. We are hoping that the true high-end Palms are in the wings, albeit delayed. But negative news seems to be winning the days and weeks lately concerning the power users (OS6 & P1).
If Palm vendors cede the high-end to the dark-side, then we know that the end is just a formality. Thanks again.
Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com
RE: What a screwy article
Stop stealing my lines!!
So, PalmSource is doing fine.
We haven't yet questioned that (unless there are *less* than 11 licensees out with stuff **here in the States** next year, Mace!).
It's palmOne that is, to paraphrase an above post, "Arafat-like."
RE: What a screwy article
>We need encouragement...
>...I think has the Palm sheep very nervous.
>We are hoping...
Anyone for a round of Kumbaya?
RE: What an honest, embarassing article
Someone's crying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's crying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's crying, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
RE: What an honest, embarassing article
I can't comment on anything specific about palmOne, but I can assure you that PalmSource has a strong and growing commitment to the Chinese market.
Mike
CCO, PalmSource Inc.
Gee, Mike, on my keyboard the "O" key is right beside the "I" key and the "M" and "N" look kinda close as well. Why so tense? Could that have been a minor typo for WinCE? But maybe you use a Dvorak keyboard.
And it's not like it's any secret that there's been a lot of tension between Palm and some Far East licencees over the years. Are you disputing anything the article claims?
- Is Palm keeping the Shanghai office open?
- Will Palm be maintaining contracts with Lenovo, Founder, and Acer Computer?
- Were those companies successful with PalmOS?
- Does PalmOS have a greater marketshare than WinCE/PPC?
How is this a "screwy" article?
Do you have any hard facts to back up your claim that one of your licensee's products is "selling quite well in Asia"? Are smartphones a tiny percentage of the overall PDA market? For all we know you may consider 5000 phones per quarter to be "selling quite well in Asia". More facts and less SPIN, please.
And what evidence do we have for "PalmSource [having] a strong and growing commitment to the Chinese market"? The evidence presented suggests you're retreating from a market you were unable to win (for any of a number of reasons).
The degree of bluster in your post is quite out of character for you and is vaguely reminiscent of the words of Mr. Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf.
The superb PalmOS app at the link below is a reminder why healthy scepticism is warranted when hearing the words of both business and political representatives.
Respectfully yours,
TVoR
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
RE: What a screwy article
-Ryan
RE: What a screwy article
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
RE: What a screwy article
RE: What a screwy article
So with that in mind, please just take this story on the grounds that palmOne (not PalmSource) has shut down a sales office in China. I don't think the reports on the other companies are accurate.
-The Typing Fingers of Ryan
RE: What a screwy article
Yeah - I'm sure that the article is just a part of a big, vast anti-Palm conspiracy by MSFT.
Kubler-Ross Sequence of Emotions
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
These posts make no sense
OK, Ryan, can you explain this:
Why would a PalmSource executive post a frantic reply to this article (within hours of it being posted!) if it had nothing to do with PalmSource? And why would he simply not post a FACTUAL response outlining how the article was false? The only vagueness I see here is from Michael Mace. Since he's lurking here at Palminfocenter, I would suggest he clear up this confusion buy posting a straightforward response addressing the points raised in the article.
As I posted above:
- Is Palm keeping the Shanghai office open?
- Will Palm be maintaining contracts with Lenovo, Founder, and Acer Computer?
- Were those companies successful with PalmOS?
- Does PalmOS have a greater marketshare than WinCE/PPC?
How is this a "screwy" article?
Do you have any hard facts to back up your claim that one of your licensee's products is "selling quite well in Asia"? Are smartphones a tiny percentage of the overall PDA market? For all we know you may consider 5000 phones per quarter to be "selling quite well in Asia". More facts and less SPIN, please.
And what evidence do we have for "PalmSource [having] a strong and growing commitment to the Chinese market"? The evidence presented suggests you're retreating from a market you were unable to win (for any of a number of reasons).
The silence from Palm is deafening.
And the BS levels are rising.
******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
RE: What a screwy article
Mr Mace can not speak for palmOne, he works for PalmSource. You should address your questions to someone at palmOne such as Bradley or Colligan. He's not going to answer questions for another company he can't speak for.
This article specifically refers to palmOne. Yet it interchanges the two Palms and has some clear errors in the article. I doubt the reporter understands the PDA market well enough to cover this.
I assume he responded because, like myself and others have pointed out, the article's reporting, numbers and proofing seem suspect and I can not trust what is being presented in a Chinese newspaper from Shanghai.
-Ryan
RE: What a screwy article
I assume he responded because, like myself and others have pointed out, the article's reporting, numbers and proofing seem suspect and I can not trust what is being presented in a Chinese newspaper from Shanghai.
Ryan, I guess you have a lot more faith in PalmSource/One executives than I do right now. Personally, I think Mike Mace responded because this was yet another damaging bit of news affecting PalmSource (losing major licencees). The fact that we haven't heard another peep out of him since then suggets this is true - don't you think as PalmSource's CCO he would know whether or not PalmSource had just lost three Chinese licencees?
Regarding the article - translating from Cantonese to English isn't exactly an exact science. I wouldn't discount the article until we see proof that everthing it mentioned was incorrect.
This is all pretty lame. PalmSource is looking more and more like they're about to give up the market without a fight. It's almost as if they're TRYING to destroy themselves.
******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
RE: What a screwy article
Anyway, PalmSource (the OS Company) faces some real challenges. In the US market there is now only one vendor producing "traditional" Palm-powered PDAs. Tapwave is a gaming handheld startup with little market share. PSource keeps cheering about all it's licensees in the vertical market, etc., but these companies aren't selling consumer products. PalmOS is losing, no...HAS ALREADY lost its brand awareness. Now PalmOne handhelds are just another brand sitting on store shelves.
The Palm Economy is in recession.
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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com
RE: It's the end of PDAs as we know them
Get Over It!
A Palm in hand is worth two in your pocket.
RE: It's the end of PDAs as we know them
I second that! Enough complaining already. Lets find some positive things to talk about.
RE: It's the end of PDAs as we know them
I love ant T, T2 and T3 million times more than T5!!!
Cheers,
Palm III>Palm IIIx>PalmV>PalmVx>Palm m505>Palm M515>Tungsten T
Dell X30 624Mhz w/BT+Wi-Fi
Nokia 6600 w/BT
Oh brudda...
I was really making a joke, but in reality the scene is truly changing.
Covergence and growing wireless data capabilities will render the "standard" PDA a dinosaur.
You're telling me that
A: This isn't true?
and
B: This is an alarmist attitude?
Get your collective heads out of the sand. The sky isn't falling, it's CHANGING.
Evolve or die.
How about a free PDA for the 100,000th post, Ryan?
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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
The Reality of Palm Incorporated in 2004...
Thus is (heaven forbid) PalmSource were to die then they can switch over to PocketPC or Symbian -maybe PalmOne discussing the matter of Pocket PC is a ploy to get more favourable licensing terms from PalmSource for Cobalt (Palm OS 6). If I was PalmOne I'd have a research team seeing experimenting with making PocketPC or Symbian devices simply as insurance should PalmSource fold. Such a project will understandably have to be kept very, very quiet indeed. Another option is to buy up whatever's left of the PalmSource carcass (a la Be style).
If PalmOne were to fold then PalmSource simply carries on licensing to Sony, Tapwave, Garmin etc. The question will be whether it receives sufficient revenue to sustain itself.
What's the relevance to the Closure of Shanghai Office? Well it's been described as a PalmONE office; I couldn't find any press on either company's site. If it's PalmOne office then maybe it's no big deal provided another Palm OS manufacturer (i.e. within China) is more sucessful at selling their units than PalmONE. If it's the PalmSOURCE office that's closed then that's a big big concern, it will mean nobody's interested in selling a Palm OS handheld in China - the world's largest market.
RE: The Reality of Palm Incorporated in 2004...
And now to enjoy a gourmet meal for < $3 USD :P
[signature0]the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse[/signature0]
[signature1]My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71.... so ends the "marathon", for now[/signature1]
RE: The Reality of Palm Incorporated in 2004...
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry after reading that phrase in the reply to my post.
Once again, Palm is NO MORE. It separated into two SEPARATE companies, PalmSource and PalmOne. They are SEPARATE companies just as Microsoft and Dell are two separate companies.
READ my post for some more info ( but please forgive my typos =) ).
RE: The Reality of Palm Incorporated in 2004...
RE: The Reality of Palm Incorporated in 2004...
People can just as easily infer either of the two companies so the distinction is lost. The distinction is important because the two companies make their money in distinctly different ways: PalmOne by selling handhelds/smartphones and associated solutions/accessories; PalmSource by licensing the PalmOS.
PalmOne closing an office means they couldn't sell their handhelds in China, which may be a sign of their inability to compete with a more popular Chinese/Asian PalmOS licensee. This wouldn't matter to PalmSource because they'd be making money from that licensee.
On the other hand PalmSource closing an office means no one in China is interested in buying a PalmOS device - whether it comes from PalmOne, Acer, Tapwave, Lenovo or whomever. PalmSource closing down is the much more worrying scenario of the two. If PalmOne collapses the Palm OS platform will still be around provided PalmSource still makes money from the remaining PalmOS licensees. PalmSource collapsing effectively means the end of the PalmOS platform.
There's the tip off...
Which answers the questions on the 'voice' of this article. While true to a certain extent, blaming Palm One's unwillinginess to open their veins and bend over backwards to give the required 'local partner' the keys to all their secrets clearly shows the bias of this author (or the bias forced upon him by his editor). Anyone familiar with doing business in China feels the frustration such a statement covers but it cannot be blamed for Palm1's withdrawal in entirety. Hence the bias shows; with sprinkles of the Government tsk-tsking at Palm1 for not being a patsy, as every other foreign company has been, ignoring caution while salivating over the potential of 1.2 billion new customers.
RE: There's the tip off...
If you want to do business in China, you do it their way or no way. That means letting them steal (I mean "borrow") your IP so they can reverse engineer the technology and eventually create their own clones, while buying a lot less of what you sell than was planned/negotiated. US auto makers, software companies (even Microsoft!), etc have routinely been screwed when trying to cut deals in China. We should really take a look at the trade imbalance and ask ourselves if we should be sending all our Western manufacturing jobs to the Chinese economy. Next time you go shopping, take a look where the goods are made. It's now almost impossible to find any inexpensive consumer items that weren't made in China. Why the he11 doesn't the US government push a "Made in the USA" campaign and at least get people THINKING about buying locally-produced goods?
If Palm didn't know what they were getting into when they went to China, they must be totally clueless. No one wins in Chinese business deals but China. (And before any kneejerk bleeding hearts Kumbaya types claim this is a racist statement, they should talk to anyone who done business in China.)
******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
It is a lie.
He said that the rumor was totally a lie. Shanghai Representative is still running perfectly.
Maybe the lie was quoted from a chinese newspaper. A journalist made a phonecall to palmOne Shanghai at 10.8, the first working day in China after National holiday, but no one answered as all the employees of palmOne Shanghai gone to palmOne Asia Pacific in Singapore. And he guessed that palmOne Shanghai was shut down.
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