the corporate pda 13 april, 2002 by johnmichael patrick monty monteith

If you actually believe what you read in technology publications, you might get the impression that Pocket PC devices have taken over the market. A considerable amount of electronic ink has been devoted to discussing how the corporate world has switched to Microsoft's Windows CE devices, and how Palm will be going under any second. While the latter point may or may not be true, the former is not true at all. The corporate world, or at least the corporate world I have been around, has committed to Palm devices, and for very good reason.

Microsoft has been singing the virtues of the Windows CE devices since they first hit the market oh-so-many-years-ago. Palm, who once enjoyed a Windows sized market share of the PDA world suddenly sees MS Pocket PC systems nipping at their heels. Admittedly, some reports show new sales of Pocket PC systems hitting as much as a third of the market, but do keep in mind that they are using 'dollars' sold as the indicator. Of course, Pocket PC systems can cost five times as much as a Palm device, so this is a questionable comparison mechanism. In addition, the number of new PDA's sold is actually beginning to drop, and in a saturated market the real indicator is total current market share. Regardless, I concede that the major publications are correct that more and more Pocket PC systems are being sold today.

However, my opinion differs greatly on who is buying these systems. Microsoft has been making that case that the corporate environment is the one purchasing Pocket PC devices because they are more powerful and useful than those little Palm things. All of the major publications have picked up these Microsoft words from reports and treated them as truth. Yet, when you actually start to visit corporate environments, you will see Palm devices in the trenches.

This is another example of Microsoft spewing information and the world taking it as 'truth'. By doing this, Microsoft has started to infuse this idea that 'Pocket PC is for business, Palm is for kids', with the hope that this could be a self fulfilling prophecy. If Microsoft says it enough times, in enough different ways, with enough different publications agreeing, it may come true.

Yet, when you stop and think about it, this is just plain silliness. The 'kids' are the ones purchasing Pocket PC devices, and the corporations standardized on Palm devices a couple of years ago. The reasons are clear:

1. Palm devices are less powerful than Pocket PC's ARM processors. However, the processing power needed for doing data retrieval and editing is minimal. Do you really need the fastest processor to look up a contact or see your appointments? The Palm device is the ideal platform for getting at the data you need when you need it. However, there is a PDA function that requires big processors: Games. Hence the reason a gamer will grab the Pocket PC system.

2. Palm devices cost significantly less than Pocket PC systems. While Microsoft might believe that corporate budgets can afford hundreds of devices that cost far more than the competition, your average CIO knows better. However, someone that is purchasing just one device (a home user, for example), would not be significantly hurt with the higher price of a Pocket PC system.

3. Palm devices are far more stable than Pocket PC systems. We have a few Pocket PC devices in our office versus dozens of Palm systems, and we spend more time on the handful of Pocket PC PDA's than all of the Palm devices combined. The reason is that Pocket PC is about as stable as Windows 95, whereas Palm systems have the comparable stability of Linux.

4. Palm devices are far easier to use. Try training dozens of staff on how to use a Pocket PC versus a Palm and you will quickly realize how much more time and money will be needed on the Microsoft platform.

5. A Palm V will comfortably fit in a pocket, whereas a Pocket PC requires an additional storage / carrying system. This means that someone who needs to carry around a PDA at all times for lookup, such as in a corporate environment, will be right at home with a Palm in their pocket. A Pocket PC is way too large and heavy for pocket carrying, and for this reason is not as easily available for data lookup.

So, why is it that a corporate environment would want a Pocket PC? None of the corporations I work with regularly (ignoring that little company in Redmond, of course), is using Pocket PC systems. When I talk to CIO's, they all say they are committed to the Palm OS. Yes, if a Pocket PC device was as small, as light, and as inexpensive as a Palm V, everyone would switch. However, I see no signs that these various Windows CE devices are getting any smaller, lighter, or cheaper.

With the Pocket PC's large color screen, high price, fast processor, and large profile, it is an ideal game machine. However, it is not suited as a corporate tool, despite what Microsoft is trying to make the world believe.