Microsoft grabs lead in handheld market | CNET News.com
Okay, I don't get this.
Microsoft grabs lead in handheld market | CNET News.com: "A wide choice of manufacturers, including HP and Dell, helped Microsoft, Gartner said.
'Business customers tend to steer clear of markets dominated by a single supplier, which is where the Palm OS market stands today,' Todd Kort, a Gartner analyst, said in a statement."
Has Kort really looked at the Windows Mobile market? HP and Dell are the only significant players. Viewsonic quit. Toshiba quit. Compaq was absorbed by HP. In retail, HP dominates the Windows Mobile side of the shelf just as much as PalmOne dominates PalmOS. There are niche players on both sides (Tapwave for PalmOS, Navman for Windows Mobile), but I don't think the vast variety of Windows Mobile devices is really the selling point. If anything, Windows Mobile devices tend to be more cookie-cutter similar to one another than PalmOS devices.
So why the Windows Mobile gains? Based on my experiences selling PDAs, I'd guess it's the Windows logo. Consumers naturally assume that Windows Mobile devices are more compatible with Windows on their desktops than PalmOS. While I freely admit that Windows Mobile device integrate better into Windows networks than PalmOS devices, but many consumers don't realize that Documents To Go, included free on most PalmOne devices, actually does a better job with Microsoft Office documents than Pocket Office.
PalmOne and the other PalmOS licensees need to do a better job of educating consumers on what these devices can really do, and point out that "Palms" are more than just organizers.
Microsoft grabs lead in handheld market | CNET News.com: "A wide choice of manufacturers, including HP and Dell, helped Microsoft, Gartner said.
'Business customers tend to steer clear of markets dominated by a single supplier, which is where the Palm OS market stands today,' Todd Kort, a Gartner analyst, said in a statement."
Has Kort really looked at the Windows Mobile market? HP and Dell are the only significant players. Viewsonic quit. Toshiba quit. Compaq was absorbed by HP. In retail, HP dominates the Windows Mobile side of the shelf just as much as PalmOne dominates PalmOS. There are niche players on both sides (Tapwave for PalmOS, Navman for Windows Mobile), but I don't think the vast variety of Windows Mobile devices is really the selling point. If anything, Windows Mobile devices tend to be more cookie-cutter similar to one another than PalmOS devices.
So why the Windows Mobile gains? Based on my experiences selling PDAs, I'd guess it's the Windows logo. Consumers naturally assume that Windows Mobile devices are more compatible with Windows on their desktops than PalmOS. While I freely admit that Windows Mobile device integrate better into Windows networks than PalmOS devices, but many consumers don't realize that Documents To Go, included free on most PalmOne devices, actually does a better job with Microsoft Office documents than Pocket Office.
PalmOne and the other PalmOS licensees need to do a better job of educating consumers on what these devices can really do, and point out that "Palms" are more than just organizers.
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