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The Cycle of Apple and Palm
Transitions
This week, I went to Apple Computer's Worldwide Developer Conference in sunny (and windy) San Francisco. As I sat at the keynote Monday morning and heard Apple CEO Steve Jobs announce the company's transition from the PowerPC to Intel processors over the next two years, I couldn't help but think the transition that Palm has undergone.
Apple has made several dramatic transitions, from the 68000 series processor to the PowerPC, then from Mac OS9 to Mac OS X. Likewise, Palm went through a processor change, and over the past few years has been gearing up for a major OS change. While codenames like Garnet and Cobalt aren't as trendy and hyped as Panther and Tiger, the potential improvements that a Linux-backed Palm OS will bring are exciting. I have always found the symmetry that Palm and Apple have to be interesting. Both companies had their founders leave to found new companies that were later bought up by the parent. Both companies face heavy competition from Microsoft. However, only Apple seems to be really going after the consumer space with its iPod and iTunes Music Store, and Apple has never had an identity crisis the way that PalmOne has.
While I saw a lot of Palm devices and Treos at WWDC, I saw more Blackberries, and iPods are everywhere in San Francisco. Palm needs to really cater to Email and music aficionados. Its recent categorization of its product line is a good start. Business ties to Blackberry and the recent LifeDrive are promising, but anyone that thinks the LifeDrive is a threat to the iPod is living a pipe dream—for now. If I had a Treo LD that had the hard disk storage of the LifeDrive and the usability of the iPod, I could see myself sometimes leaving the iPod at home. Until that day comes, my laptop bag will continue to be crowded.
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