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Palm Cobalt and Mac OS X

Re: palm and MAC OS X

Originally posted by stimpy13
Ok some of you don't use the palm..great..however understand they in some segments of the business world they are MANDATORY...

As a 3rd year medical student I can tell you that every serious doctor is getting one, pt charting systems are supporting them etc .. they are awsome reference sources.

The problems with palms action is not the lack of hot sync as I fully expect isync to fill this gap.

The problem lies in the many applications on the palm that "sync" with a central DB to update a reference. Apple needs to ensure that palm and pocket PC apps that use this fuctionality have the hooks in OS X that they need to function , without a seperate version of the palm or pocket PC app.

Look we all love our mac but this kind of thing KILLS Apples market share. Apple can do what they like on their own turf but they MUST interoperate with 3rd parties SEAMLESSLY, better then windows if they expect to grow.

This is a crushing blow which means Apple will have to work hard to overcome. Futhermore dog plus world will cover the fact that palm will not support the mac but no one will cover the fact that isync can fill a significant portion of this void.

An Apple PDA is not the answer here. Because many if not all app makers will not support their app on that platform even if it is palm or pocket pc compatible.

I love my mac but more Apple needs to realize that they must beat windows when it comes to 3rd party interactivity.


peace
andrew
Click to expand...

You raise a number of good points. The syncing between apps being the most important.

On the other hand I do not support the idea that Apple could not come out with their own PDA that may give the others a run for their money. If Apple does do an PDA, it needs to at least be able to read the data from a Palm PDA. In the best of situations it needs also to read data from the Windows CE system.

If we look at the iPod, it probably should have failed. There were companies that offered more for less. But Apple succeeded in style and execution. They could do the same in PDA's.
 
palm and MAC OS X

Ok perhaps i made myself less then clear..

Apple could come out with a PDA device

BUT

1.)It must be perfectly compatible with palm or pocket PC...no exceptions

2.) when connected to my mac those palm apps must sync and be able to conenct without a single change in the developers code.

if either of the above is NOT true then the problems will ALWAYS be blamed on Apple so long as the product functions under windows XP..even if the real problem is with the palm app.

Which brings me back to my original point...this is a huge burden for Apple but its the ONLY way to make the device work.

The iPod is an excellent example. The ipod has been succesful BECAUSE it works better on BOTH mac and windows esp with itunes....any PDA will have to follow the same path which is significantly harder due to multifunctionality of a PDA

i suspect that jobs problem with PDAs have something to do with these tough issue.


andrew
 
My solution

I want simplicity, and as few devices as possible. Sometimes these goals are in conflict; how do you create a "simple" 20GB-40GB smartphone with a camera, BT, 802.11g, full iSync compatibility, large color screen, etc.? I want one device to make my calls, read my e-mail and web sites, e-books and memos, store my photos and music, and have some decent games, and I want it to weigh < 8 oz. Oh, and rugged with good screen protection!

Basically I want a G4 iBook in a phone, so I don't have to carry a laptop! I'd prefer it to be Aqua-based, but I could deal with Linux.
 
Re: palm and MAC OS X

Originally posted by stimpy13
Ok perhaps i made myself less then clear..

Apple could come out with a PDA device

BUT

1.)It must be perfectly compatible with palm or pocket PC...no exceptions

2.) when connected to my mac those palm apps must sync and be able to conenct without a single change in the developers code.

if either of the above is NOT true then the problems will ALWAYS be blamed on Apple so long as the product functions under windows XP..even if the real problem is with the palm app.

Which brings me back to my original point...this is a huge burden for Apple but its the ONLY way to make the device work.

The iPod is an excellent example. The ipod has been succesful BECAUSE it works better on BOTH mac and windows esp with itunes....any PDA will have to follow the same path which is significantly harder due to multifunctionality of a PDA

i suspect that jobs problem with PDAs have something to do with these tough issue.


andrew
Click to expand...

That's a great post you made, stimpy13. All the points you brought up could be valid reasons that Apple doesn't wish to add a PDA to their product list. I especially agree with the compatibility issue you raised regarding an Apple PDA and Palm OS/PocketPC.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: We need the iSlate NOW!

Originally posted by BobVB
Your proposed iSlate fills no need I personally have and reminds me of the Cube - a product in search of a market.
Click to expand...

I dare to disagree. Midsize pen operated computers such as this should, given the right price & marketing, sell great with students. If you are on a public university you may not want to carry an iBook all day (I don't, it stays at home), it is just too heavy & the battery does not last long enough, and current PDAs are not an alternative if you really want to enter a bunch of data in a hurry.


Not one week passes without at least three people asking me about my Newton & where they could get one because it would be just what they need.

I have said this before some time ago, but for a lot of seminars, especially smaller ones, a notebook is inappropriate and overkill. It alienates you from the group, adds typing noise, and you have a very hard time jotting down graphics, e.g. a diagram.
Other markets would be hospitals, designers (scribblepad, needs real screen estate & must be readable in bright daylight), storagekeepers, delivery services, the military of course...
 
Hope?

Brighthand's first impressions of Palm OS Cobalt


No surprise, PalmSource's decision to no longer develop a Macintosh version of its desktop client is proving controversial. I found it somewhat surprising, as I know David Nagel, the company's CEO, is a Mac user.

Still, this might not be as big a deal as some think. I spoke with a palmOne VP who gave me the impression that palmOne will be at least talking to Mark/Space about bundling The Missing Sync for Mac OS X synchronization with its Cobalt powered handhelds. And Sony Clie users have already had to use The Missing Sync for years.
Click to expand...
 
How long does it really take to make software that will sync with osx/*nix? I mean really? Give me a break. Politics seems to be killing the computer industry.

my 2 cents.
 
Update from Brighthand

Brighthand article

Mac Synchronization
"No surprise, PalmSource's decision to no longer develop a Macintosh version of its desktop client is proving controversial. I found it somewhat surprising, as I know David Nagel, the company's CEO, is a Mac user.

Still, this might not be as big a deal as some think. I spoke with a palmOne VP who gave me the impression that palmOne will be at least talking to Mark/Space about bundling The Missing Sync for Mac OS X synchronization with its Cobalt powered handhelds. And Sony Clie users have already had to use The Missing Sync for years. "

A comment...to all of you on the board saying, "Palm betrayed me, I've owned a Palm since the Pilot 1000, etc." Wake up! You and I really don't matter. PalmSource is really targeting the corporate market, as that is the area of growth in this industry. (Corporations tend to buy higher end models, and more of them, and they update them faster) Palm is also trying to fend of MS in this area. You can see that as they have been redesigning their software to have Outlook compatibility right out of the box. See here: Tungsten T3 page And we all know, Apple is not real big in the enterprise desktop market right now.

All management is about allocating limited resources, and PalmSource management has choosen to allocate its resource where it believes it will get the best return, and that is the corporate market. I guareentee you, if Apple could make some inroads in that corporate desktop market, Palm would be right there with support. (We can argue chicken and egg stuff about this sort of news hurting Apple in the corporate market, but lets be honest, Apple hasn't gone after that market aggressively - it doesn't make cheap boxes that corporations want. We can also argue TCO, but corporations tend not to look at that longer range costs than, this quarter, this year, etc. "What will is cost me to upgrade 4,000 desktops?" sort of things... )

Cheers,
hughdogg

edit- corrected URL...
 
Hey hughdogg - Please edit your post and turn off smilies - they are breaking your URL.

edit - hughdogg: saw your edit. Now people can use your link!
 
Re: and the "off topic" award goes to....

Originally posted by tex210
Brighthand is running this rumormill story...
http://www.brighthand.com/article/RumorMill_Details_of_Upcoming_Apple_Handheld
Some supposed specs, and a "this is a yearly rumor" disclosure.
Click to expand...

Not another PDA rumor. Kill me now...

I don't the think the MacNet guy is all that reliable, anyway. It sounds like a Sony Clie, so what's the point if Jobs hates PDAs?

On the other hand, it might explain Palm's otherwise odd decision...
 
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