Palm to Reach Potential 100 Million New Customers in Mainstream Retail Stores
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Major U.S. retailers are
taking notice of the revenue opportunity in the handheld industry. More than
6.6 million handheld computers were purchased in the United States during
2000, and that number is expected to grow to more than 26 million by 2005,
according to IDC.(1) Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced that Sears
stores are offering Palm(TM) handheld computers in retail outlets nationwide.
Palm will reach more than 100 million new customers each year, including those
in the burgeoning youth and young adult markets.
"Sears is an American institution. Its selection of Palm products shows
just how far consumers have come in embracing innovative solutions to simplify
their lives," said Greg Rhine, vice president of worldwide sales for Palm.
"The handheld computer has moved squarely into mainstream consumer culture."
Sears is the first national department store to sell Palm handhelds. A
trial in 100 Sears stores late last year was so successful that Sears now
sells Palm products in all of its 860 stores nationwide, serving more than
100 million American households each year. Sears has devoted more than half
of the handheld computer shelf space to the Palm m100, m105 and IIIc products,
and accessories such as color faceplates and leather cases.
"Palm handhelds are becoming ubiquitous. Their availability at Sears is
recognition of their growing popularity with customers," said Ray Brown,
vice president of home electronics at Sears. "Our consumer electronics
associates are able to show customers how a handheld computer can simplify
life by putting important information and applications in one place."
The Palm handheld computers available at Sears stores include the
following:
-- The Palm m100 handheld is the lowest-priced Palm handheld ever
introduced. It offers easy personalization for people new to handheld
computers.
-- The Palm m105 handheld combines the simplicity of the m100 handheld
with 8MB of memory and Internet connectivity software in the box. It comes
with a cradle.
-- The Palm IIIc handheld features a clear, bright and readable color
display with a longer battery life that many other color handheld computers on
the market. It is ideal for users who color-code information; create and
store images; and use graphics-intensive content, such as games or web pages.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet
solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC
(December 2000). Based on the Palm OS(R) platform, Palm's handheld solutions
allow people to carry and access their most critical information with them
wherever they go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals,
enterprises and educational institutions through thousands of application
solutions.
The Palm OS platform is also the foundation for products from Palm's
licensees and strategic partners, such as Franklin Covey, HandEra
(formerly TRG), Handspring, IBM, Kyocera, Sony and Symbol Technologies.
Platform licensees also include Acer, Garmin, Nokia and Samsung. The Palm
Economy is a growing global community of industry-leading licensees,
world-class OEM customers, and approximately 160,000 innovative developers and
solution providers that have registered to develop solutions based on the
Palm OS platform. Palm went public on March 2, 2000. Its stock is traded on
the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is
available at www.palm.com.
(1) DC's "Hand Check: The Smart Handheld Devices Market Forecast and
Analysis, 2000-2005"
NOTE: Palm OS and HotSync are registered trademarks and Palm and
Palm Powered are trademarks of Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other brands
may be trademarks of their respective owners.
MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
tbutton.prnewswire.com
SOURCE Palm, Inc.
-0- 06/25/2001
/CONTACT: Julia Rodriquez of Palm, Inc., 408-878-2605, or
julia.rodriguez@corp.palm.com/
/Web site: palm.com
(PALM)
CO: Palm, Inc.; Sears
ST: California
IN: CPR CSE HRD STW REA
SU:
MP-JO
-- SFM129 --
9737 06/25/2001 15:59 EDT prnewswire.com
//Begin Meta Data//
Selector Code: ..b7c
Copyright 2001, PR Newswire |
