Palm VIIx Now $200

Posted By: Ed Friday, May 11, 2001 10:47:29 AM

Palm resellers were sent an e-mail yesterday saying that, effective today, the price for the wireless Palm VIIx has been reduced to $200. Amazon has already dropped their price. So has Office Depot and CompUSA.

Even better, when signing up for a year's Palm.Net service plan, a $100 rebate is applied, bringing the cost down to just $100.

Just purchase a VIIx between now and the end of the year, subscribe to a Palm.Net service plan, then complete an on-line rebate form, and they'll credit your account after the third month of service.

Palm offers three different service plans. The Basic Plan costs $10 a month and allows 50KB of downloads, which is approximately 50 screen views. The Expanded Plan is $25 and offers 150KB. There is a charge of 20 cents for each additional kilobyte for both these plans. They also offer an Unlimited Volume Plan for $45. All these require a $10 set-up fee.

Palm's Philosophy
Palm CEO Carl Yankowski has said he thinks handhelds can be sold with a thin margin because the real profit is in selling applications and services for those devices. Increasing use of Palm.Net is one of Palm's goals and selling the VIIx for a very low price to get users to subscribe would certainly help.

The Replacement?
Palm has said repeatedly they are already working on a replacement for the VIIx that is scheduled to come out by the end of this year.

The new wireless device, typically referred to in rumors as the m700 series, will have real-time e-mail reception. This means that device constantly looks for new e-mail and notifies the user when some is received.

Late last week, PalmStation posted leaked pictures of what might be the replacement. Their pictures show a small handheld with a metal case, a built-in antenna, and an SD slot.

Thanks to Steve of Transplant Computing for the tip. -Ed

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wooohoo

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 10:56:38 AM #
can only mean the new VII is getting closer...

Uh oh

Coyote67 @ 5/11/2001 11:18:15 AM #
Well, this is certainly good news. Not only is it showing Palm isn't afraid to go for a new look, instead of reusing th e palm3 and the palm5 body, its showing this isn't that far away (but we said that about the m50x) This could be a move to get rid of extra inventory in order to prepare for the release of a new one.

OH my god...becky, look at her....Prism.

Inventory reduction and services play

bcombee @ 5/11/2001 12:13:01 PM #
I can see this being done for two reasons:

1) Reduce their inventory of devices -- there was the big announcement at the end of 2000 about them overcoming supply issues, so they made lots of them and have a glut.

2) Palm wants to make more of its money by services, and Palm.Net is their biggest service. They're apparently been able to shift to the model where they sell the device at a loss and make it up on service fees. This indicates they've been able to negotiate even more favorable rates with Cingular Wireless (which was BellSouth Wireless Data) for access to their Mobitex service, perhaps as part of a deal to introduce new devices on that same service in the future.

RE: Inventory reduction and services play
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 1:06:11 PM #
You are so right!

This is a dump the glut for subsidy.
Even though I have a PalmVIIx, I'm still pining for the early release though of SkyWalker.
They should probably release in Q4.



RE: Inventory reduction and services play
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 4:00:12 PM #
It will be out way before Q4. Try July

Good now lower the service plan cost

palmdiva @ 5/11/2001 2:15:28 PM #
I'm chomping at the bit. Waiting for the new M705. I can't wait. I can stop carrying two palms to have wireless +color+ memory. I do however have big issues over the service plan cost. My daughter and I both using VIIx's I paying 90.00+ freakin bucks a month.

Color?
scouter075 @ 5/11/2001 2:52:19 PM #
The pictures I saw were for the M700. The contrast control in the upper right hand corner of the grafitti box lead me to believe that this will be a monochrome device. Did I miss a leak about a color device or is that wishfull shinking?

scouter075@mindspring.com
RE: Good now lower the service plan cost
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 3:33:53 PM #
It is doubtful that a color 700 series product would be available right away. The cost of color and wireless would likely push the price out of the 'usual' Palm range ($450).

Timeframe

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 3:12:49 PM #
What *IS* the timeframe on the 700? October, December 2001?


RE: Timeframe
Coyote67 @ 5/11/2001 3:32:53 PM #
200x the way palm releases their stuff.

OH my god...becky, look at her....Prism.
RE: Timeframe
bcombee @ 5/11/2001 5:34:25 PM #
In 2000, Palm released the IIIxe and IIIc in March, and the VIIx and m100 in August. This year we have the m500 and m505 announced in March, released in May... it seems likely to see the new wireless unit announced/released in August/September timeframe.

VIIx work with Palm.net if overclocked??

ajg23 @ 5/12/2001 12:26:02 AM #
If we use afterburner to make the VIIx ~28MHz, will the wireless stuff still work?

Thanks,
Aaron

PS: if you CC:'d to greena@med.unc.edu I would be grateful :)

RE: VIIx work with Palm.net if overclocked??
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/12/2001 12:38:31 AM #
I am not sure about the VIIx, but afterburner on the Palm VII's I have had does not work above a certain clock speed (I forget which speed).

If you clock the VII to high, it just buzzez and freezes until a paper clip is stuck in it's back for the soft reset.

Does this mean pricing will drop

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/12/2001 8:40:28 AM #
The VIIx's price drop could lead to more drops on the III series like the IIIc for $200 which would be great

RE: Does this mean pricing will drop
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/12/2001 8:57:57 AM #
Lehman Brothers analyst Joseph To has predicted the IIIc will drop to $199 when it gets discontinued in June.

200?

Joshua @ 5/12/2001 5:01:36 PM #
I can't beleive that it is so cheap! I have a IIIc and like it even more now. Why? It has went above in price, cool. I know a few people who are gonna buy one!

Free Palm VIIx

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/13/2001 12:33:45 PM #
I haven't verified this but one of my friends says there's a free Palm VIIx at sharperimage.com. It costs $200 to start and then there's a $100 rebate, and a second $100 rebate for signing up for the online service. It's highly possible that he's confused though.
RE: Free Palm VIIx
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/13/2001 1:31:32 PM #
Your friend is confused. They still list it for $399, less a $100 rebate, and the rebate is for the palm.net connection (which if you plan to actively use it will cost you $44 per month for a year--the rebate demands a year sign up). The only perk of ordering at this site is you get 15 per cent for your first online order. This is NO bargain, even though sharperimage heralds it as one of their monthly specials.


Palm Price Conflict

PalmPowered @ 5/14/2001 8:39:24 AM #
At $199.00, the Palm VIIx now matches the price of the m105, which leads to the question of why buy a 105 when you can get a VIIx for the same price ? Sure the 105 is a newer design but the VIIx has everything the 105 does plus wireless and flash Rom for the same price . Even if one doesn't need the wireless, it is there if you eventually decide to sign up. I think Palm may have bitten off its nose to spite its face.
PalmPowered@aol.com

Free Palm Vx?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/14/2001 9:07:21 AM #
Has anyone seen the deal offered at www.Cyberrebate.com ? I'm sceptical -- but the deal is you pay $2,499 (no typo) for a Palm Vx plus Omnisky, and you get a rebate of the full purchase price in about 10 weeks. No contract commitment is mentioned.

I can see how they might earn a little money by keeping your $2500 for 10 weeks and earning interest.... Is that the deal? Has anyone done something like this?


RIP CyberRebate
Ed @ 5/18/2001 9:30:04 AM #
CyberRebate.com went belly up May 16, taking everyone's money with it.

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1278-210-5965619-1.html

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

Glut of VIIx

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/14/2001 3:13:54 PM #
From CNET:

To said in a note to clients that he believes Palm cut its price for the VIIx to try to clear out inventory so that minimal levels will be in the channel when it introduces its next-generation wireless product sometime this fall.

"The $99 Palm VIIx could potentially cannibalize some of the sales of Handspring's low end products,'' he added. "Furthermore, we do not believe that this is the end of pricing actions between the two vendors.''

Free Palm at Cyberrebate.com?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/14/2001 10:16:30 PM #
I'm responding to another post but I feel most of you may not read a Nested post. I'm torn at even telling you this because I don't want my source to dry up. (Yes I'm gready, I have 2 PalmVx's and have ordered two more from CyberRebate.com Yest it's true a PalmVx free, (and you don't have to signup to Ominsky) but I'm thinking of doing that before June for the free modem) but Before you run off to the site. Right now they are out of PalmVx's but have a M105 for $1,799.99 Yes after 14 weeks you get a check. But check the site about 3-5PST and thats when they usually add things. Last year I bought over $6,000.00 of stuff at cyberrebate.com and I got all my rebat checks (14 weeks later but I still got them.) If you are serious about getting one My sugestion is that you FIRST get a Interst Free Credit card (American Express Blue, Blue has no annual fee, a competitive 0.00% APR for the first 6 months) Then use the card just for that. There's other Zero Interest cards out there. but get one first then you just make minimum payments and wait until the check comes then pay them off. (Well before the 6mont intersts Free.) Like I said before, I have two now and Just ordered 2 more. Going to give them away as gifts. Yes it's good to be my friend. I've oreded a Cordless phone for myself and now I'm thinking of giving it away. (I guess I need to sign up for another Interest Free card.) Well now that you know my tip I'm sure There won't be ANY Palms there! Have fun, I'm enjoying my FREE PalmVx.. Just waiing for a Free Keyboard to show up.. and a Free GPS.. :)

RE: Free Palm at Cyberrebate.com?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/16/2001 5:12:15 PM #
Don't know if you've seen this but they just shut down their web site after filing for Chapter 11.

RE: Free Palm at Cyberrebate.com?
Ed @ 5/18/2001 9:32:47 AM #
Can you believe their business model was to depend on a percentage of their customers not filing the required rebate forms? That's how they got their money. I assumed they were making investments with the cash before the refund. Nope.

Read more about it:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1278-210-5965619-1.html

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