There is the basic Palm hardware, Palm accessories, Palm OS, Palm applications, palm.net, and Palms preloaded with applications for specific enterprise computing tasks (monitoring a network, stock trading, etc.).
I see healthy competition in the Palm hardware and Palm accessories. This will bring prices down, improve quality and consumer choices, and increase volume considerably (the IBM PC model).
I see little or no competition in Palm OS, provided Palm keeps enhancing it without compromising efficiency and simplicity -- the IPO with its implications for attracting and retaining superb people will ensure this. Palm will control and license it for the foreseeable future.
There is already intense competition (tens of thousands of developers) in Palm applications. Lots of superb applications, many of them free. This is great for hardware and OS licensing volumes. Again, the IBM PC model.
Early indications from test marketing are that palm.net will be a success. There will be lots of competition here primarily from cell phones, but Palm's superior display and processing characteristics should help considerably. This is the AOL model in wireless space.
And, finally specialized Palms preloaded with enterprise applications. This is EB's baby. I am not sure about its importance for Palm. |
