Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Palm No Longer Offering Mac Synching?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "THE COMPETITION" @ 12:34 PM
"...Macintosh synchronization is something that the Palm OS used to offer, but won't any more. Mr. Slotnick made it clear that PalmSource isn't developing a Mac version of the Palm Desktop. As the way the PIM apps work has changed significantly, this means Mac users won't be able to HotSync without third-party software.
Fortunately, a third party has already stepped forward. Mark/Space is going to release a version of its Missing Sync application for Cobalt. This will allow existing Mac conduits for other third-party applications to still work. In addition to the standard functions, Missing Sync for Cobalt will allow Bluetooth and Wi-Fi HotSyncing."
I was reading an article about the PalmSource conference (hey, why didn't I get invited? :lol:) and the above quote caught my attention. One of the areas in which the Pocket PC never got caught up to Palm in was the are of Mac support. There have certainly been requests for a Mac version of ActiveSync, but ultimately I think it came down to a market share equation for Microsoft (doesn't it always?): "Do we improve the product that we have now, or develop a Mac version?" - you can guess which option won out. This move by Palm to leave the Mac market to third parties mirrors what Microsoft has done, and it takes away one advantage that Palm has traditionally held. What do you think?
Fortunately, a third party has already stepped forward. Mark/Space is going to release a version of its Missing Sync application for Cobalt. This will allow existing Mac conduits for other third-party applications to still work. In addition to the standard functions, Missing Sync for Cobalt will allow Bluetooth and Wi-Fi HotSyncing."
I was reading an article about the PalmSource conference (hey, why didn't I get invited? :lol:) and the above quote caught my attention. One of the areas in which the Pocket PC never got caught up to Palm in was the are of Mac support. There have certainly been requests for a Mac version of ActiveSync, but ultimately I think it came down to a market share equation for Microsoft (doesn't it always?): "Do we improve the product that we have now, or develop a Mac version?" - you can guess which option won out. This move by Palm to leave the Mac market to third parties mirrors what Microsoft has done, and it takes away one advantage that Palm has traditionally held. What do you think?
