VisorCentral.com - Color Edge to debut!?

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VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor Edge (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=25)
-- Color Edge to debut!? (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=13152)

Posted by av8instyle on 03-18-2001 07:26 AM:

I just heard from a Comp USA rep today that he got a newsletter from a Handspring parts supplier that stated the Color Edge has been in the works for a while now and is expected to release in three months for the low low price of ......$599. Anyone else disgusted? I don't know if this is true but he didn't have a reason to make it up and it makes sense.

Posted by Fat_Man on 03-18-2001 07:40 AM:

Fair price if...

You know, I would be willing to that price if the color Edge has similar capabilities of the sony Clie 2. The most important is that it must have 320x320 resolution!!! If the color Edge remained 160x160, there is no justification for the $600 price tag.

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Posted by bkbk on 03-18-2001 08:39 AM:

Jeez, yer right.
Otherwise, it'll just be a new toy for the execs. for the 1st 6mo. or so before something else in the PDA biz drops the price.
It sure is starting to seem like they think we're made of money....

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Posted by dick-richardson on 03-18-2001 04:31 PM:

I seriously think Palm, Handspring, et al have forgotten one of the things that made the device the big hitter it was � affordable. Handspring esp. Instead of phasing out the deluxe in favor of the plat (and offering the plat at $250 with the multi-colored cases) like Palm has, they keep their first products and jack the prices on new releases in the name of "new features = higher cost" when actually their "new features" are in reality nothing more than the logical progression the base models would make. Sony may yet see the light. We'll see.

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by Mich on 03-18-2001 05:58 PM:

I don't think that Handspring would price the color Edge for $599 when the Palm M505 will be $450. Who in there right mind would pick the color Edge. For $599 that unit better do everything that the Clie can and more. Heck, the Ipaq is cheaper than that.

Posted by DBrown on 03-19-2001 04:32 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Mich
I don't think that Handspring would price the color Edge for $599 when the Palm M505 will be $450. Who in there right mind would pick the color Edge. For $599 that unit better do everything that the Clie can and more. Heck, the Ipaq is cheaper than that.

In my opinion, $599 is WAY too much for a handheld computer. If you look on Ebay or on Egghead's auction site you will often see last year's laptop computers with nice 800x600 LCD screens going for less than $600. Palm based computers are nice, but not nearly as capable as a laptop or the even cheaper desktop computers.

When they get the memory into the 128 meg or higher range, the screen resolution up to 320x320 and full color, a removable storage option or an internal hard drive of 10 Gig or so, and a processor that is at least comparable to a pentium III at 500Mhz, THEN it might be worth $599. For God's sake, folks... keep things in perspective. I recently paid $450 for a refurbished E-machine 500Mhz athlon desktop with monitor. It runs AutoCad, PhotoShop, and everything else I've fed it easily enough. My Visor Platinum won't. Neither will an Edge, color or not.

Yes, I know there is almost always a premium to be paid for smaller electronics. I gladly pay for the portability and usefulness enabled by smaller size, but only up to a point. We've been fooled to think small electronic devices have to cost more. They don't. I bought a pocket TV with a 320x240 pixel TFT color screen for $120. A Visor can be had for $149 or less (with coupons). The value of a faster processor and more RAM in the visor should be about the same as the cost of the TV electronics in the TV. There was profit built into both of these devices. Even so, $269 SHOULD buy enough electronics to make a Prism, if not something better. I'd pay $300 for a color edge, or even a color screen in platinum form factor. What's more, I'll bet within two years I can get one for that price, MSRP.

Dave

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Posted by yardie on 03-19-2001 04:59 AM:

Doubt

I doubt we will see a product from Palm Or Handspring for more than $499. I think that is the breaking point. Over that, no one will buy it.

Posted by critic on 03-19-2001 05:13 AM:

Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by av8instyle
I just heard from a Comp USA rep today that he got a newsletter from a Handspring parts supplier that stated the Color Edge has been in the works for a while now and is expected to release in three months for the low low price of ......$599. Anyone else disgusted? I don't know if this is true but he didn't have a reason to make it up and it makes sense.

Calm down. Chances are that $599 is just a preliminary retail price. That sort of thing always gets adjusted based on market conditions and available features. If the color Edge ends up going head-to-head with the color Clie (assuming it even ends up in this country), they're going to make sure that the feature set is similar and they'll price it accordingly.

Handspring isn't stupid. I sincerely doubt they're going to debut a new product so important to their competitive edge (and their bottom line) and then shoot themselves in the foot with a stupid price point. (Remember the original price point for the Palm VII?)

Posted by dick-richardson on 03-19-2001 04:25 PM:

Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by critic
...Handspring isn't stupid. I sincerely doubt they're going to debut a new product so important to their competitive edge (and their bottom line) and then shoot themselves in the foot with a stupid price point. (Remember the original price point for the Palm VII?)

They already have shot themselves in the foot with the introduction of the platinum � a device that should have just replaced the deluxe altogether.

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by Gameboy70 on 03-19-2001 05:11 PM:

Re: Doubt

quote:
Originally posted by yardie
I doubt we will see a product from Palm Or Handspring for more than $499. I think that is the breaking point. Over that, no one will buy it.

I agree 100%. Right now Handspring is between a rock and a hard place as it is with its current pricing of $449 for the Prism, $399 for the Edge and $299 for the Platinum. At $450, the m505 is going to sell by the truckload. The only reason I'm even waiting (briefly) before getting the m505 is to see if Handspring makes a counter-announcement for a color Edge. Handspring may be reluctant to pre-announce products, but Palm has thrown down the gauntlet this time for a change, and the challenge can't go unanswered. It looks like Palm's low pricing for the m505 caught even Handspring by surprise. At this point, the Prism looks like a tough sell without emulating Palm's price drop for the IIIc.

Posted by critic on 03-19-2001 05:39 PM:

Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by dick-richardson

They already have shot themselves in the foot with the introduction of the platinum � a device that should have just replaced the deluxe altogether.

I'm not so sure that I agree with that assessment. I don't think the Platnium was a "shoot in the foot" situation - more like a "slip on a banana peel" situation. There isn't anything wrong or bad about the Platnium (paint issues not withstanding). Maybe they should have restructured their overall product line a bit (eliminate the Solo and Visor, move the VDX into the Visor's place, and move the VPL into the VDX's spot on the "lineup"), but overall it seems a lot of people bought the Platnium and are very happy with it.

Posted by dick-richardson on 03-19-2001 06:00 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by critic

I'm not so sure that I agree with that assessment. I don't think the Platnium was a "shoot in the foot" situation - more like a "slip on a banana peel" situation. There isn't anything wrong or bad about the Platnium (paint issues not withstanding). Maybe they should have restructured their overall product line a bit (eliminate the Solo and Visor, move the VDX into the Visor's place, and move the VPL into the VDX's spot on the "lineup"), but overall it seems a lot of people bought the Platnium and are very happy with it.

I agree with the way you have the line up (maybe just releasing the solo and deluxe with OS 3.5.2 and the faster processor and not bothering with an entirely new device). I understand that Handspring is in this to make money, but I think they're going to make less of it if they don't lower prices. It's a slip now, but unless they do some price slashing it'll quickly become a shot. The m505 is at the same price as the prism. It offers visible 16-bit color, metal case, flash RAM, and an expansion slot (we'll see how "plug-n-play" and/or user friendly it is). How can Handspring offer the edge at $100 over the platinum (the only differences being a thinner, metal case and silent alarm) and expect people to buy a prism when they can get quite a bit more at the same price from the m505? They're going to have to do a hell of a lot more than rebates now or Palm will run 'em over. I admire Palm if for nothing else than a willingness to slash prices (and that means a lot to someone on a tight budget).

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by Toby on 03-19-2001 06:47 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by dick-richardson
{...} How can Handspring offer the edge at $100 over the platinum (the only differences being a thinner, metal case and silent alarm) and expect people to buy a prism when they can get quite a bit more at the same price from the m505? {...}

They're not getting quite a bit more at the same price with the m505. They're getting incrementally more (color screen and different expansion technology) for $50 more with the m505. They're getting a break even with the m500 (different expansion technology) at the same price.

Posted by Hoser_back_home on 03-19-2001 07:04 PM:

don't forget the fact that with the M505 you don't need to buy a $40 InnoPak2V for a vibrating alarm.

...put that money to some memory!

now we're talking.....

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Posted by lennonhead on 03-19-2001 09:01 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by Toby

They're not getting quite a bit more at the same price with the m505. They're getting incrementally more (color screen and different expansion technology) for $50 more with the m505. They're getting a break even with the m500 (different expansion technology) at the same price.

I believe Dick was comparing the 505 to the Prism. He said that HS makes people pay a $100 premium for a slim form factor (Plat -> Edge) yet there is no price difference for form factor when comparing the Prism to the 505.

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Posted by sdoersam on 03-19-2001 09:02 PM:

Don't forget the software goodies!

They are also shipping a lot of software with the M500 series. The list includes:
Documents-to-go 3
MultiMail SE
AOL for Palm
PalmReader (based on Peanut Reader)
MGIPhoto Suite
Mobile Connectivity software

I won't bother with PocketMirror, AvantGo, or PowerOne Calculator since the Visors either come with these, or are free downloads. (Although, now that I think about it, isn't Peanut Reader free?)

Looks like Palm is serious in not giving the PocketPC's an edge. Now you can edit your MS Office files out of the box here too. Let's hope Handspring matches the bundling with WordSmith and QuickSheet.

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Posted by Toby on 03-19-2001 09:35 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by lennonhead
I believe Dick was comparing the 505 to the Prism. He said that HS makes people pay a $100 premium for a slim form factor (Plat -> Edge) yet there is no price difference for form factor when comparing the Prism to the 505.

Oops...yeah, it was an awkwardly constructed sentence and I read it as talking about the platinum both times. The Prism is quite big when compared to the m505.

...but wouldn't that mean they get a bit less for the same price with an m505?

Posted by dick-richardson on 03-19-2001 09:49 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by Toby
Oops...yeah, it was an awkwardly constructed sentence and I read it as talking about the platinum both times. The Prism is quite big when compared to the m505.

...but wouldn't that mean they get a bit less for the same price with an m505?

Sorry about the lack of clear communication. That post was an ADHD moment for me, with too much information being processed and fingers not nearly fast enough to get the points down (and if I don't write it as I think it's lost forever). I usually do a better job editing when I'm done, though.

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by dick-richardson on 03-19-2001 09:52 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by lennonhead

I believe Dick was comparing the 505 to the Prism. He said that HS makes people pay a $100 premium for a slim form factor (Plat -> Edge) yet there is no price difference for form factor when comparing the Prism to the 505.

You know your post is bloated when it can effectively be condensed into 1 sentence (and make more sense in the conversion).

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Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Posted by Toby on 03-19-2001 10:12 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's not jump to conclusions yet...

quote:
Originally posted by dick-richardson
Sorry about the lack of clear communication. That post was an ADHD moment for me, with too much information being processed and fingers not nearly fast enough to get the points down (and if I don't write it as I think it's lost forever). I usually do a better job editing when I'm done, though.

No problema. I've done the brain moving faster than fingers thing many a time (although I'm sure that my admitting that might shock a poster or two here or on Usenet

).

"You're only human. You're supposed to make mistakes." - Billy Joel

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