PalmPilot reward for success: Competition from Microsoft
In less than two years, Palm Computing has created a thriving
business in hand-held computers nearly from scratch. Next month it
will reap the reward for success in the electronics industry:
competition from Microsoft.
Microsoft's Windows CE 2.0 - the revamped, Lilliputian version of
its popular operating system - is the foundation for a crop of
electronic organizers that look an awful lot like PalmPilot
knockoffs. These devices will begin shipping from heavyweights
like Casio, Philips and Uniden as early as next month.
The PalmPilot, whose manufacturer was acquired last year by
3Com, came from nowhere to grab two-thirds of the market in
hand-held computers. But it was vying mostly against bulkier,
expensive mini-laptops. In contrast, the Microsoft-dubbed "Palm
PCs" match the PalmPilot's combination of small size, low price and
clearly focused functions: an electronic calendar, phone and
address list, memo pad and expense tracking.
The competition promises to be intense. Both sides are pouring
money into marketing campaigns. And last month, 3Com sued
Microsoft, alleging trademark infringement over the Palm PC
moniker.
"It's daunting to have to face off with Microsoft but even worse
when it's a group of competitors backed by Microsoft," said Rob
Enderle, director of desktop technology with Giga Information
Group.
For consumers, the choice between PalmPilot and Palm PC may
come down to the ease-of-use and popularity of the 3Com product
versus the established appeal and versatility of Windows, analysts
say. At the moment, many believe 3Com and its Palm Computing
division have the upper hand.
Mushrooming market at stake
At stake is a mushrooming market for hand-held personal
organizers, which is estimated to grow more than 60 percent over
the next year. The number of hand-held computers sold in the first
six months of 1997, the most recent period for which firm figures
are available, exceeded the sales totals for all of 1996. By 2001,
sales are estimated to quadruple to almost 7.5 million annually,
according to research firm Dataquest.
In a speech to a banking trade association last week, Microsoft
Chief Executive Bill Gates said he expects hand-held computing
devices to eventually become as popular as full-size personal
computers.
"It strikes at a fundamental human need to be organized," agreed
Donna Dubinsky, president of Palm Computing. "It's designed for
people who are mobile and have a degree of complexity in their
lives."
The revolutionary notion of shrinking the personal computer to palm
size emerged from the intellectual ferment at Apple Computer. The
Cupertino, Calif., computer manufacturer unveiled the first true
hand-held device in 1993, to much fanfare. But Apple oversold the
concept and underdelivered. The Newton MessagePad flopped.
Though later models were vastly improved, Apple ignominiously
axed the product earlier this month.
A cult phenomenon
Other hand-held devices from major companies also faltered, so
badly that analysts began to wonder whether hand-held computers
could ever be a viable mass-market product. Then came the
PalmPilot, which eliminated the bulk and superfluous features of
earlier versions and became a cult phenomenon.
Introduced in April 1996, more than 1.6 million PalmPilots have
been sold, according to data from research firm Creative
Strategies. Palm Computing has realized more than $300 million in
revenues from the product, and launched the third generation of the
device, the Palm III, last week.
The Palm III hits store shelves in April and features a new design,
increased memory and an infrared beaming function that lets users
swap information from within feet of one another.
But the larger measure of its success may be that it attracted
attention - and then competition - from industry giant Microsoft.
The Redmond company also first entered the hand-held market in
1996. An early version of its Windows CE became the backbone
of 10 mini-laptops from different manufacturers, equipped with
keyboards and limited versions of Windows programs. But these
devices captured just 20 percent of the market.
Microsoft's second shot
Now Microsoft is taking a second shot. It announced in January
that it was working with consumer electronics companies to
produce the devices now known as palm-tops.
Microsoft's Palm PCs are virtually identical in appearance and
basic features to the PalmPilot. Both use an inkless pen called a
stylus for data entry. Both offer an electronic cradle to synchronize
information between the desktop computer and the palm device.
And the products are priced in the same range as well. The Palm
III is retailing at $399; earlier PalmPilots are now as low as $199.
The price tag for Palm PCs are between $299 and $499.
Palm Computing executives say Microsoft is so interested in
imitating their success that the the software company's even cribbed
PalmPilot's name. It filed a trademark suit in Europe earlier this
month. Bill Gates and other Microsoft executives deny the charge.
Some analysts believe the suit may be a mistake for Palm
Computing because of the trouble it could cause for its parent
company. 3Com's larger business is in networking devices and its
fiercest competitor there is Cisco Systems, the leader in Internet
and corporate network equipment. It's been suggested that 3Com
could use Microsoft's support to fend off Cisco; an aggravated
relationship with its potential ally won't help, said Giga's Enderle.
But Dubinsky said Palm has no choice but to defend its rights.
"You can't have a good relationship with Microsoft unless it's from
a position of strength," Dubinsky said. "Otherwise, they don't
respect you."
The Windows factor
Ultimately, the war between PalmPilot and Palm PC will be won on
different grounds. Microsoft is banking that consumers will choose
Palm PCs because they want the familiar Windows interface - even
though it comes on machines that can't run Windows applications .
Microsoft hopes to turn added features into a Palm PC advantage,
and it's loading its machines with functions. Some of the first Palm
PCs have a larger memory and more powerful processor than
anything Palm Computing makes, allowing them to run such
sophisticated software as a full-blown handwriting recognition
program. PalmPilot users, in contrast, enter data with the stylus
using a specialized language called Graffiti.
For now, Palm Computing has a clear advantage, industry watchers
say. It's got time and practice on its side - and a large and growing
customer base. Because of the head start, the PalmPilot has more
than 1,000 software applications that have been developed to
enhance its operation. In contrast, Microsoft is releasing only 100
applications for the Palm PC in the first few months.
"We have the advantages of being the innovator, of owning the
technology and understanding the market better than anybody else.
We've been aggressively building over the last two years,"
Dubinsky says. "They're shooting at a moving target."
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