Retro-PDAs
Colin Potts (potts@cc.gatech.edu)
Sat, 20 Apr 1996 15:53:12 -0400 (EDT)
There is an interesting, and, from an FCE perspective, rather
depressing article by Ted Lewis entitled "The limits of innovation"
in the April issue of IEEE Computer. Lewis asks why miniature
DOS-like organizers such as the Psion and HP 1/200 LX are selling
like hot cakes and PDAs such as the Newton are not. His answer,
supported by some economic analysis, is that product penetration
is a function of familiarity of the component technologies -- or
what he calls their "learning price" and "learning rate." The Newton
just changed too much too quickly for most business consumers. He
also argues that packaging (e.g. size and battery life) has improved
significantly slower than other technology components, such as
processing speed, and that that is why a highly portable organizer
that looks like a circa-1985 DOS PC significantly outdoes a much
more powerful PDA that is less than twice as expensive.