> I fondly remember my HP calculators and I still have a pair
While I never developed a particular fondness for the calculators I owned
while a science major in college (perhaps evidence that changing programs my
junior year wasn't as bad an idea as it sounds), I understand the sentiment,
and the resulting loyalty.

> HP abandoned the calculators and I can't remember why.  It was sad.
$! But I understand your sentiment, and the resulting loyalty.

> The way you phrase your statement"  hp has abandoned calculators and
> its Jornado,
> although iPAQ survives for now..." would lead one to believe
> you think HP
> will abandon the iPAQ in short order.  I would respectfully
> submit to you
> that in my opinion, it would take more than a few months for
> this to happen.
and
> The iPAQ has a lot of life left in it, by virtue of the
> flashable ROM and
> the expansion packs.  It seems there is not a week that goes
> by without a
> new gadget for the iPAQ, either from HPQ or from a third-party.
I know that you know how rapidly this is all changing. We are already close
to having new models every year, and with Compaq offering OS-upgradeable
PocketPCs, this will probably leave us where we are with desktop PCs. I
upgrade the OS, and then wish my hardware was faster, and eventually just
buy new hardware. And expect the upgrade path and life cycle of Windows CE
devices to be much shorter than that of PCs. Think cell phones for market
comparison. So, while it might take more than a few months for the PocketPC
to fade away, I think we would agree that things are going to be different
in two years, and very different in three. Since the new hp made what seems
to be the obvious choice, to continue the better product line, I still have
hope that inventiveness will continue apace here. CE may go away, or become
as different as XP is from Windows 3. Maybe in three years we will be
debating whether the iPAQ Pocket PC 2005 is really still the same product as
PPC 2002.

> It was almost a given HP would select the iPAQ over the Jornada in its
> rationalization of the product lines.  The iPAQ is far and
> away the leader
> in the Pocket PC world.  It actually defined the format.
<snip>
> Also, the latest crop of Pocket PCs are all copies of the
> iPAQ 3670.  They
> use the same processors, flash ROM and so on.  As I said, the
> iPAQ created the format.
Oh, I suffer from iPAQ envy. Wish I owned one, would like to buy one for the
misses (romantic guy that I am). Now, I just read that Palm OS 5 will run on
PocketPC hardware. This niche does stay interesting.

> Comparing a Pocket PC to a Tablet PC is very much like comparing a
> motorcycle to a pickup truck (and the laptop would be an SUV
But that's nearly true within this niche. What is comparing Palm OS to CE
like? I would liken it to comparing a Ginger to a mini-van or RV. From
previous, recent threads, some happy Palm users on this list would disagree,
likening Palm to a good meal, and CE to a good beating that requires
hospitalization followed by long-term rehab. While opinions differ, I think
there is some overlap in the niches for Pocket and Tablet PC.

< thoughtful Pocket vs. Tablet PC comparison snipped>
> The Tablet PC is aimed at people who do not want to have a
> laptop, but want something bigger than a Pocket PC.
Which is why I finally own a Clio <www.pinaxgroup.com> with a Compaq WiFi PC
Card, both bought on eBay, and expect to soon suffer TabletPC envy. As Stan
Sieler pointed out, the TabletPC has the potential to be a mobile desktop,
with no need to synch (although the W2K idea of network folders, an improved
"My Briefcase", makes sense here. Price is what hurt the Clio badly, nearly
fatally. At least at first, Tablet PCs will compete with laptops, and
unfavorably at first. But, if these are successful, prices will come down.

> embarrassing situations.  The Tablet PC is an old idea being
> executed again,
> but this time Bill Gates (the fake one) is behind it and
> really wants it to
> succeed.  We shall see.
The niche does stay interesting. Perhaps the Tablet PC will move it past
"toys for geeks". I cannot use my Clio without being a bit self-conscious,
because it just looks different enough to draw attention and even questions.
But then, cell phones have the same problem, attracting attention to those
who use them. So, it's not just the novelty that gets noticed.

Greg Stigers
http://www.cgiusa.com

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