Palm rip-offs pale in comparison
If you can't beat 'em, copy 'em.
That philosophy goes a long way in the world of high-tech. I'm not sure how
patents on technology work, but the wording must be something like this: If
you make something that is original, and good, anyone and everyone can --
and will -- make one too.
Microsoft has exploited this phenomenon many times to its own benefit. In
fact, the software giant practically has made copying others' designs part of
its general business practices. So it makes you wonder why they didn't do a
better job of copying the Palm OS when they introduced Windows CE.
For whatever reason, they didn't. And you have to feel for the hardware
vendors trying desperately to get into the handheld game, tethered to
Microsoft by fear of losing access to Windows, forced to use the inadequate
and ill-conceived Windows CE to compete with the ubiquitous PalmPilot.
You can't really blame the hardware vendors for the shortcomings of
Windows CE. After all, they're just making the best out of a bad situation,
that situation being Windows CE itself.
Take Compaq Computer. Please. Last week the company introduced its
new, slimmed down Aero 1530, clearly designed to compete more
effectively with the PalmPilot. It won't, but bless them for trying.
The system is indeed thinner and more compact than its original incarnation,
though it is still a good inch longer than the Palm V and far bulkier. It has an
enticing compact flash slot, a built-in microphone, and a backlit display that
changes the screen from bad to worse. It's the best they could do, given
what Microsoft has offered them.
Windows CE is a mess. It doesn't come close to offering the ease of use the
PalmPilot does. And in the case of the Aero 1530, the screen is very difficult
to read, as opposed to the crisp graphics on the Palm. But again, don't
blame Compaq. They are severely limited by the operating system, which
has proven to be a loser.
It must be amusing for Palm Computing executives to sit back and watch
some of the most powerful companies in the hardware industry align
themselves with Microsoft and repeatedly fail to build a better mousetrap.
These companies are pouring money down a hole trying to keep up, and it's
not working.
In this case, the other hardware manufacturers might want to take a lesson
from IBM, which decided not to compete with the PalmPilot, but rather to
license and rebrand it directly from Palm Computing. A wise choice, and one
that companies in bed with Microsoft can't easily make, but eventually must
make if they are going to compete in the handheld market.
Imagine how cheap PalmPilots would be if everyone made them. But then
again, what fun would that be -- a world without competition in the
marketplace? Maybe we should ask Microsoft what that's like.
Dan Briody is an InfoWorld editor at large.
Missed a column? Go back for more. |
