Sunday, September 22, 2002
Apple PDA plans nearing no chance at all?
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "ARTICLE" @ 02:00 AM
http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/19461.html
"Apple's pioneering PDA, Newton, failed to take off a decade ago, largely because it was a clunky, expensive device that the public was not ready for. Now, with the market saturated with PDAs and smartphones, Apple may not be ready to try again."
Well, PDA, yes. But saturated smartphone market? The only market saturated with smartphones is the media's little world where they have devices to play with. The one here in the real world has sparce choices for a true smartphone device. Microsoft's smartphone has yet to launch and the P800 isn't out yet from Sony-Ericsson either. Everything else is a phone with a full PDA crammed in it, but I digress.
"Rumors persist that Apple has a PDA up its sleeve. Aberdeen Group analyst Isaac Ro points to the iPod, along with Apple's new iSynch "Mac to mobile" Bluetooth platform, as evidence the company is experimenting with PDA functionality. "The iPod has the basic technology to be a PDA, with limited PIM (personal information management) data applications built into a wireless device," he said. "But it is not clear that Apple would bring a PDA into the market."
Think they will? Think an iPDA is in the cards for Apple? Personally I don't. The market is saturated, and while they might do an iPOD with basic PDA functionality, that would be too big to appeal to mainstream PDA users. I think the only market left for Apple to seriously consider is the smartphone market, and unless they are already 2 years into developing a viable product, they may be too late for that. Thanks to Foo Fighter for the link.
"Apple's pioneering PDA, Newton, failed to take off a decade ago, largely because it was a clunky, expensive device that the public was not ready for. Now, with the market saturated with PDAs and smartphones, Apple may not be ready to try again."
Well, PDA, yes. But saturated smartphone market? The only market saturated with smartphones is the media's little world where they have devices to play with. The one here in the real world has sparce choices for a true smartphone device. Microsoft's smartphone has yet to launch and the P800 isn't out yet from Sony-Ericsson either. Everything else is a phone with a full PDA crammed in it, but I digress.
"Rumors persist that Apple has a PDA up its sleeve. Aberdeen Group analyst Isaac Ro points to the iPod, along with Apple's new iSynch "Mac to mobile" Bluetooth platform, as evidence the company is experimenting with PDA functionality. "The iPod has the basic technology to be a PDA, with limited PIM (personal information management) data applications built into a wireless device," he said. "But it is not clear that Apple would bring a PDA into the market."
Think they will? Think an iPDA is in the cards for Apple? Personally I don't. The market is saturated, and while they might do an iPOD with basic PDA functionality, that would be too big to appeal to mainstream PDA users. I think the only market left for Apple to seriously consider is the smartphone market, and unless they are already 2 years into developing a viable product, they may be too late for that. Thanks to Foo Fighter for the link.
