For the first time since the launch of the Palm operating system almost ten years ago, Microsoft’s Windows CE has overtaken the originator. The software which runs the popular PocketPC line shipped 1.3 million units in the third quarter for a 32.6% increase. Palm, on the other hand, shipped only 850,000 units which resulted in a steep 28% decline. As a measure of market share, Microsoft now holds 48.1% compared to Palm’s 29.8%. The other real mover in the handheld field is the Blackberry system by Research in Motion. Blackberry’s results improved substantially by shipping 565,000 units - an astonishing 356% increase. While Palm is certainly disappointed with this quarter’s figures, they have good reason for hope. Palm is the operating system on many of the really hot new smartphones such as the Treo 650. While Microsoft will try to continue to make every device in the world a mini-version of Windows, Palm and Blackberry focus on their market strengths: simplicity and email, respectively. |
