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Technology Stocks : 3Com Corporation (COMS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Patriarch who wrote (28969)	3/13/1999 6:01:00 PM
From: Mang Cheng	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 45548

"Why the PalmPilot Will Kill the PC" By Tiernan Ray March 2, 1999 TECHNO LUST is all about first impressions. No technology ever gets a second chance to show its deeper, more sensitive side. That's why Apple Computer's (AAPL) current "comeback" seems so anemic: We've seen this show before. In the realm of first impressions, the hand-held electronic organizer sold by 3Com (COMS), the Palm connected organizer, is all about instant gratification. The humble personal computer, on the other hand, is all about diminished expectations. 3Com is winning the war of first impressions; the PC is losing miserably. I just bought a brand new Compaq Presario for under a thousand dollars -- the model the company calls its "Internet PC." Picked it up at Staples. I wanted to see how the other half lives, all those people we keep hearing about who don't make much money and who'll buy these cheapie computers in order to get on the Web. The experience was less than breathtaking. During the interminable startup process, I was reminded who wears the pants in this relationship, with one splash screen for Compaq, then another splash screen advertising Bill Gates' Windows 98. Another 15 minutes passed while a whole bunch of programs I hadn't asked for but that came with the computer all tried to install themselves at once. The modern PC is hostage to a decade of bundling arrangements. Finally, I was offered a tour of Windows, as if I'd just landed in some beautiful country rather than the lowest circle of hell. And I hadn't reached the Internet yet. The PalmPilot, the latest version of which is number V, is pure dazzle. The thing can't get any smaller. Like a stylish pocket lighter Lauren Bacall would have used in one of her movies, it has a striking black and white screen that is astoundingly sharp and clear. It's really remarkable. Almost better than paper, actually. It jumps quickly to things you want to do, such as looking up phone numbers. Sleek, fast and no-nonsense, the Pilot is just right for the Web. It's not connected yet, but it will be. The next version (Palm VII) will come out later this year with a Web browser and a wireless Internet connection, using technology from Alpha Industries (AHAA). That will be perfect. Microsoft's (MSFT) competing product, called the Handheld PC (or HPC), could put up a fight. A few new models are just starting to show up in stores, all of them with beautiful color screens. But they're too big. You can't fit them in your pocket, like a Palm, so why not just buy one of the many stunning PC laptops coming on the market from Fujitsu, Sony, Toshiba, Sharp, etc., which have CD-ROM drives and beautiful 14 inch screens? At the same time, there's too much in the HPC. Once sucked into the maw of Windows, with all its icons and buttons, you find getting on the Net in one of these devices is still like fishing for your house keys in the dark. And there are too many models. At chop shops like CompUSA, where knowledgeable staff is trained to resist the come-ons of customers, figuring out the salient differences between these various devices is utterly bewildering. The Palm has two models, old and new. A friend says her dog destroyed her HPC over the weekend. Chewed the buttons off and smashed the display. The Palm has an anodized aluminum case that's probably impervious to canines. So she went out and bought a Pilot to replace the HPC. 3Com has become the Apple Computer of yesteryear, without the pretentious TV commercials. Steve Jobs introduced us to techno lust. ("Your computer is your friend. Say, Hi.") 3Com is perfecting the art with ruthless precision; the PC is trying to boot up. 3Com is inventing Internet computing, while Bill Gates and his various hosts lose their grasp on the next generation. So, Macintosh fanatics, why aren't you out there buying 3Com stock? Mang (a slightly old article from Smartmoney)