VisorCentral.com - No Plans for PrismII

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VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor General Chat (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=31)
-- No Plans for PrismII (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=19173)

Posted by chesswrangler on 10-24-2001 05:12 PM:

No Plans for PrismII

I just got my 2001 Annual report from Handspring (dated 9/28/01) and I was disappointed to read the part about "Our Future". Donna Dubinski opens the report with a recap of the year; started with VDX, added new products, blah, blah, blah, and then there is a section about the future of Handspring. It is 5 short paragraphs that sumarize as follows:

"When we started Handspring three years ago....At the same time, we started investing in what we believe to be our ultimate future, that of integrated wireless communicators. But the sharp and sudden slowdown in the economy........we revised our business plan to significantly reduce expenses on our non-wireless products, while putting more focus and investment towards our wireless products"

Based on this, I'd say the graffiti is on the low-res pixelated screen.

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Posted by LarryN on 10-24-2001 06:06 PM:

Re: No Plans for PrismII

quote:
Originally posted by chesswrangler
"...while putting more focus and investment towards our wireless products".

Doesn't mean they are abandoning the SB slot. They couldn't say one way or the other. That's all. They would be handing the market to Sony, if they didn't come up with new Prism type device. I also think that if they let people know that in their annual report (about a new color device), somebody would cut and paste part of their shareholder's report it on some messageboard somewhere...

The release of the Neo and Pro marked new devices with nearly no new R & D costs. You can't make me believe that they haven't been working on something to counter devices that took the stronghold of the color palm device away from the Prism, more than half a year ago.

Posted by bookrats on 10-24-2001 06:23 PM:

Re: Re: No Plans for PrismII

I'm starting to wonder if HandSpring does plan on the Treo being the replacement to the Visor.

I.e., if you don't want to use the wireless capabilities, you don't, and can use the Treo as you would a Visor (w/o the Springboard.)

Having said that out loud, though, it's a pretty damn pricey Visor replacement -- particularly without either a Springboard (or a CF slot, right? I haven't been paying much attention to the Treo.)

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Posted by chesswrangler on 10-24-2001 08:03 PM:

quote:
You can't make me believe that they haven't been working on something to counter devices that took the stronghold of the color palm device away from the Prism, more than half a year ago.

Why not? The report says they have changed their business plan and that they believe the ultimate future is in wireless communication. I don't think they are going to discontinue the Visor line anytime soon, I'm just saying that from reading through the report it seems to me that Handspring is moving in a different direction. This has me worried as a stockholder. The only thing that sets Handspring apart in the PDA market is the SB slot. If they do not continue to focus on this advantage then they will simply have no advantage at all .....and the Sony's and Palm's and other big name companies will capture the market.

Anybody want to buy some HS stock?

__________________
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"Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?"

Posted by culo77 on 10-24-2001 08:18 PM:

As I said many time before HS is not coming out with the PRISM 2.
the are coming out with an COLOR EDGE, 320 x320, 32mb, and superman's cape.

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Posted by WorldCTZen on 10-24-2001 11:31 PM:

New Color Screen tech?

Ok, on the Treo270 (the color model) there's a line saying that HS wouldn't comment on what type of color screen the unit would be using..

Considering the timing, this leads me to believe that it could be using an Organic LED matrix. This is no longer prototype tech, but is actually in use in fairly small sized screens (9" or less). The tech is there for it to be implemented for Palm-sized units, although there are still some mass manufacturing wrinkles.

Anyways, this tech is supposed to be available for mass use in 2002.. Benefits include: low cost (ESPECIALLY compared to LCD), faster manufacturing process, fewer manufacturing defects, higher resolution, and lower power consumption . This is the tech that will allow streaming video/TV SpringBoards to really take off (aside from ever getting 3G wireless).

So, it sounds like HS is again keeping their cards close and repeating their strategy from the Prism.. Don't put out just another color device, but wait until you can put out an outstanding color device. So, probably around the same time the T270 comes out, we might expect a Prism2.

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Posted by LarryN on 10-25-2001 12:37 AM:

I DO agree it's seemingly against HS's policy to preannouce new devices. Why did they do this with the Treo line though? I can only think that they let the cat out of the bag with the patent office and had to say something. ...Otherwise, why wouldn't they mention a Sony killer, if they had one in the future lineup. (Which I believe they do)

My feelings are that they have a history of reducing prices of items-to-be-replaced a couple of months prior to the replacement item coming out. Since the Prism has been $299 for close to a month now, they've got something on the cuff.

So, they've got me (anyway) captive until years end. I've got too much invested in SB modules to switch to a n760c (or something better that might come out soon) right now. I'll wait it out for a few more months before bailing. I still like my Prism, but there's some tasty models out there these days. If I were shopping for a new PDA, and didn't have a bunch of SB modules, I'd bypass HS in a sec with the current lineup of available devices today. Sad, but true for me.

Posted by ubik on 10-25-2001 12:52 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by chesswrangler

Why not? The report says they have changed their business plan and that they believe the ultimate future is in wireless communication. I don't think they are going to discontinue the Visor line anytime soon, I'm just saying that from reading through the report it seems to me that Handspring is moving in a different direction. This has me worried as a stockholder. The only thing that sets Handspring apart in the PDA market is the SB slot. If they do not continue to focus on this advantage then they will simply have no advantage at all .....and the Sony's and Palm's and other big name companies will capture the market.

Anybody want to buy some HS stock?

More than just that, there is the fact that Handspring's initial business focus was suppose to be the Springboard technology! There were several interviews in the initial press blitz for the company where they repeatedly said that the Visor was just one product that showcased the SB technology, and that they had plans for many more devices beyond PDAs that they intended to use the SB slot. In fact, they often would go as far as to say that licensing and development for the SB standard was their primary business focus, rather than being a simple PDA manufacturer. Obviously all of this failed miserably, so now they are going to try to claim that they always intended to become a manufacturer of smartphones from the beginning.

This is one of the main reasons I say that Sony is starting to look like the company Handspring intended to be. Sony has actively promoted MemoryStick in a number of non PDA applications, whereas Handspring now appears to not even feel the need to include the SB slot in all of their products.

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Posted by dkessler on 10-25-2001 01:03 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by LarryN
My feelings are that they have a history of reducing prices of items-to-be-replaced a couple of months prior to the replacement item coming out. Since the Prism has been $299 for close to a month now, they've got something on the cuff.

Not necessarily. Clearing out inventory prior to a new product release is only one of several possible motivations for the price cut. Another is the simple fact that your products have to be priced to compete. With new and better color offerings from Palm and Sony, the price on the Prism had to drop if Handspring wanted to continue selling them.

Handspring is a very tiny company compared to a giant like Sony and I know that if I were calling the shots there, I'd definitely be looking for some high ground that I could defend. Handspring has known this all along. Initially they tried to set up a stronghold on the "expandability" hill. Unfortunately, the reinforcements they were expecting (in the way of affordable third-party Springboard modules) never really materialized. Springboard has never really become a "compelling" technology for the masses. There are a half dozen reasons why this is so, but the bottom line is that not enough people will choose a Visor over a Clie because of the Visor's Springboard slot.

So HS needed to fall back to a new position and integrated wireless seems to be the new hill they've picked. It's not a bad choice given the R&D that they already have invested in the VisorPhone and the current buzz over integrated wireless, but we need to be realistic about how many resources that leaves for continued development on the original Visor product line.

Let's face it, they couldn't get the Treo out in time for Christmas and they're already behind the releases of other integrated wireless products (hence the pre-release publicity). If I were the boss, I'd be throwing every engineer I had at getting the Treo out the door. I suspect Visor development has already ground to a halt and probably won't be picked up untill both Treos are on the market. At that point they'll probably need to be making the shift to an ARM based device (if they even want to stay in the PDA market) so I would not expect to see another groundbreaking PDA from Handspring for at least another year (if at all).

Of course this is all pure speculation and Handspring could prove me wrong, but I think that it would be a major mistake for them to do so.

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Posted by chesswrangler on 10-25-2001 02:15 PM:

quote:
Handspring is a very tiny company compared to a giant like Sony and I know that if I were calling the shots there, I'd definitely be looking for some high ground that I could defend. Handspring has known this all along. Initially they tried to set up a stronghold on the "expandability" hill. Unfortunately, the reinforcements they were expecting (in the way of affordable third-party Springboard modules) never really materialized. Springboard has never really become a "compelling" technology for the masses. There are a half dozen reasons why this is so, but the bottom line is that not enough people will choose a Visor over a Clie because of the Visor's Springboard slot.

I agree, but I think the springboard slot would become a compelling technology if Handspring were to address the half dozen reasons why it is not - instead of finding a new direction. Diversifying(sp?) into the wireless communications market is all great and all, but what makes HS think they could do that better than other bigger, more experienced companies with more brand recognition?

The bottom line for me is this: I loved my VDX! I love my Prism! Springboard expansion rocks! I would buy more modules if they were less expensive and I think other people would too. Tons of people I talk to do not know about HS or their SB slot and when I tell them about it (and show 'em) they are often compelled to buy one. I wish I were on commission! Hasn't this happened to you?

__________________
- Don -
"Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?"

Posted by utz on 10-25-2001 10:32 PM:

I think Dubinsky's statement is just what it says, an indication that Handspring has devoted the majority of its resorces to Treo. But that does not mean all of the resorces were deveoted to Treo. Handspring has to look at their value as a company. The Smartphone market is still really small compared to the PDA market. Maybe in a few years the smartphone market will be bigger (I think it will ultimately include the entires cellular market, which is much bigger than the PDA market), but right now the PDA market is where Handspring will find volume, and thus higher company value.

I see the Treo as an awesome attempt to get in on the ground floor of the growing smartphone market, but they cannot leave the PDA market yet. They have to come out with some new PDAs soon, or they will see the value of Handspring fall significantly. In fact, I don't think they will ever leave the PDA market, but it will probably take a back seat if the smartphone market gets bigger.

P.S.
culo77,
I liked your other dancer much better Even though that Chris Farley skit is one of my favorite SNL skits.

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