MS O/S Article:
Maybe this is the answer I was looking for.
Site: www.win2000mag.com
Author: Paul Thurrott
"This week, Compaq announced that it shipped 75,000 PocketPC devices in the second quarter of this year, and the company plans to ramp up production so that it can quadruple output by first quarter 2001. But Windows CE-based PocketPC's run rate is decidedly lower than market leader Palm's, which shipped 1.1 million devices in the same timeframe.
Even with the other PocketPC makers included in the tally, Palm is currently outselling the PocketPC by a factor of at least five to one. And with Palm-compatible devices such as Handspring and Sony prepping new models for the fall, things aren't looking good for Microsoft's handheld OS. This week, Compaq CEO Mike Capellas told CNET that his
company would put up a fight and target wireless connectivity.
"The [wireless] delivery of content in a meaningful way will drive the [handheld] industry," Capellas said. "There is going to be a ton of new Internet content, and that is . . . going to drive the Web." As for demand, Capellas notes that Compaq hasn't been able to keep up.
PocketPC devices, which normally retail at $500, have been selling for as much as $1000 on auction sites like eBay.
Compaq has had trouble obtaining the screens the company needs from suppliers and agrees that it could have done a better job meeting the demand.
PocketPC users are largely enthusiastic about the devices, in a manner similar to old Amiga and Macintosh customers. PocketPCs sport brighter, more colorful screens than their Palm equivalents and are far more feature packed. But critics note that these features increase the devices' size, weight, and complexity, not to mention the cost.
Software is also a critical component of any platform's success, and on that note, the Palm is the clear victor.
But Microsoft has a history of fine-tuning products over time, and the company certainly has the cash reserves to keep Windows CE afloat indefinitely, if necessary. With
close partners such as Compaq and Hewlett-Packard providing much-needed publicity for the devices, it's remotely possible that a future release could finally even the score." |
