Friday, August 29, 2003
Another Week, Another New Pocket PC - or Two?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "THOUGHT" @ 07:00 AM
[This is a republishing of my editorial from this week's edition of Pocket PC Thoughts Weekly - I'm trying an experiment to see how well it works to publish my editorial here as well as in the newsletter, since you can't comment in the newsletter.]
Momentum continues to build on the Windows Mobile 2003 platform with news about a few new Pocket PCs coming out soon. First up, we have the iPAQ 1930, a non-Bluetooth version of the 1940 that has a slower CPU and less Flash ROM. But at a price of $199 USD after a $50 rebate [Affiliate], I'm predicting that this device will cut sharply into sales of mid-range Palm devices. The Dell Axim X5 was the first Pocket PC to hit the $199 USD price point, but the Axim wasn't a small device - and if a Pocket PC OEM hopes to lure Palm converts over to the Pocket PC, size matters (a lack thereof to be more precise).
The 1930 represents a solid left-hook at the mid-range Palm market. The greyscale Zire is a bottom-end device with almost no profit margin, but it continues to prop up Palm's market share numbers and solidify Palm mindshare. I have to admit, though, that the Zire 71 is a nice little device - great screen, high resolution, fast, and with a camera. But if a consumer looks at the iPAQ 1930 side by side with the Zire 71 (priced at $299 USD), will the Zire 71 have $100 of apparent extra value? Both devices are small, have great screens, and are fast. Will a poor-quality integrated camera be worth an extra $100 to most consumers? Probably not. The 1930 is a solid hit from HP. I have to hand it to HP: they're consistently the most aggressive Pocket PC OEM out there, and I hope they keep it up with new and innovative designs at every price point.
Some rumours about the forthcoming Dell Axim X3 started swirling around again thanks to a Brighthand article, and it's a device worth getting excited about. If Dell hits their previously-stated goal of a $150 USD colour device, Palm could be reeling from the double-trouble effect of HP and Dell gunning after the entry-level Zire market. Let's hope that the X3 is a bit more svelte than the X5 - geeks might be willing to put up with a bigger PDA, but most consumers want something small and chic. It will be a great Christmas season for consumers interested in buying a Pocket PC, that's for sure!
The biggest Pocket PC Thoughts news this week revolved around some evolution to the site - we can now accept credit cards for subscriber services, and we launched a huge contest to help celebrate the success of the subscriber services. We're continuing to work hard on making Pocket PC Thoughts the most valuable site for Pocket PC enthusiasts there is, and all the encouragements we've received in the past few weeks have been greatly appreciated.
Have a comment about something that happened in the past week? Post away!
Momentum continues to build on the Windows Mobile 2003 platform with news about a few new Pocket PCs coming out soon. First up, we have the iPAQ 1930, a non-Bluetooth version of the 1940 that has a slower CPU and less Flash ROM. But at a price of $199 USD after a $50 rebate [Affiliate], I'm predicting that this device will cut sharply into sales of mid-range Palm devices. The Dell Axim X5 was the first Pocket PC to hit the $199 USD price point, but the Axim wasn't a small device - and if a Pocket PC OEM hopes to lure Palm converts over to the Pocket PC, size matters (a lack thereof to be more precise).
The 1930 represents a solid left-hook at the mid-range Palm market. The greyscale Zire is a bottom-end device with almost no profit margin, but it continues to prop up Palm's market share numbers and solidify Palm mindshare. I have to admit, though, that the Zire 71 is a nice little device - great screen, high resolution, fast, and with a camera. But if a consumer looks at the iPAQ 1930 side by side with the Zire 71 (priced at $299 USD), will the Zire 71 have $100 of apparent extra value? Both devices are small, have great screens, and are fast. Will a poor-quality integrated camera be worth an extra $100 to most consumers? Probably not. The 1930 is a solid hit from HP. I have to hand it to HP: they're consistently the most aggressive Pocket PC OEM out there, and I hope they keep it up with new and innovative designs at every price point.
Some rumours about the forthcoming Dell Axim X3 started swirling around again thanks to a Brighthand article, and it's a device worth getting excited about. If Dell hits their previously-stated goal of a $150 USD colour device, Palm could be reeling from the double-trouble effect of HP and Dell gunning after the entry-level Zire market. Let's hope that the X3 is a bit more svelte than the X5 - geeks might be willing to put up with a bigger PDA, but most consumers want something small and chic. It will be a great Christmas season for consumers interested in buying a Pocket PC, that's for sure!
The biggest Pocket PC Thoughts news this week revolved around some evolution to the site - we can now accept credit cards for subscriber services, and we launched a huge contest to help celebrate the success of the subscriber services. We're continuing to work hard on making Pocket PC Thoughts the most valuable site for Pocket PC enthusiasts there is, and all the encouragements we've received in the past few weeks have been greatly appreciated.
Have a comment about something that happened in the past week? Post away!
