Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Pocket PC Universal Connectors: Why It Probably Won't Happen
Posted by Jason Dunn in "THOUGHT" @ 10:00 AM
I saw this question on a mailing list I'm a member of, and I thought my response would make some good Thoughts-fodder:
"Why don't Pocket PCs have a standard connector for accessories?"
Simple: profit. Manufacturers might make 20% profit on a Pocket PC if they're lucky (Dell really changed the game in this regard), but on accessories, they can make 50%+ in profit, often times much more (like charging $9 for three Styli or $19 for screen protectors). If customers were able to re-use things like keyboards, cables, GPS, cradles, etc., all OEMs would lose a valuable source of revenue.
The frustrating fact is that all the OEMs want you to have to buy all new accessories when you purchase a new Pocket PC (unless it's bought from them, which is why we see iPAQ accessories compatibility to a limited degree). The only incentive they have to adopt a universal connector and kill a good portion of their accessory sales is to make it easier for customers to switch away from their devices. It's easier to keep a customer locked into using your product once they've invested $500 in accessories than it is to get a new customer to buy your product and the $500 in accessories.
Some people have asked why Microsoft doesn't just mandate a universal connector for all Pocket PCs - my guess is that they fear alienating their OEM partners. With the declining desktop computer market, major OEMs are on the prowl for areas where they can make money. The mobile devices market is still growing quite rapidly, and the OEMs want to make money while they can, and this includes the accessories. Microsoft is the only company who could implement a standard connection anyway - I seriously doubt the OEMs would get together and say "Let's make it easy for customers to jump ship from one Pocket PC brand to another." So the long and short of this is that I don't expect to see this happen soon, if ever. Bluetooth may be our only hope, and it's still too difficult to use.
Universal connector? I don't think we'll ever see it happen. :|
"Why don't Pocket PCs have a standard connector for accessories?"
Simple: profit. Manufacturers might make 20% profit on a Pocket PC if they're lucky (Dell really changed the game in this regard), but on accessories, they can make 50%+ in profit, often times much more (like charging $9 for three Styli or $19 for screen protectors). If customers were able to re-use things like keyboards, cables, GPS, cradles, etc., all OEMs would lose a valuable source of revenue.
The frustrating fact is that all the OEMs want you to have to buy all new accessories when you purchase a new Pocket PC (unless it's bought from them, which is why we see iPAQ accessories compatibility to a limited degree). The only incentive they have to adopt a universal connector and kill a good portion of their accessory sales is to make it easier for customers to switch away from their devices. It's easier to keep a customer locked into using your product once they've invested $500 in accessories than it is to get a new customer to buy your product and the $500 in accessories.
Some people have asked why Microsoft doesn't just mandate a universal connector for all Pocket PCs - my guess is that they fear alienating their OEM partners. With the declining desktop computer market, major OEMs are on the prowl for areas where they can make money. The mobile devices market is still growing quite rapidly, and the OEMs want to make money while they can, and this includes the accessories. Microsoft is the only company who could implement a standard connection anyway - I seriously doubt the OEMs would get together and say "Let's make it easy for customers to jump ship from one Pocket PC brand to another." So the long and short of this is that I don't expect to see this happen soon, if ever. Bluetooth may be our only hope, and it's still too difficult to use.
Universal connector? I don't think we'll ever see it happen. :|
