Most Handhelds are Under-used (Updated)
Update: Michael Mace, Palm's Chief Competitive Officer, talked to the analyst at the Gartner Group and was told these figures are true only immediately after the purchase of the Palm. As time passes, a higher percentage of users install third-party applications.
I think this study is invalid and I apologize for publicizing it. I considered withdrawing this whole article but I think the comments from readers posted below are worthwhile enough to keep the article alive. -Ed
According to a study by the Gartner Group, almost all handheld owners use it for keeping track of their contacts, and about 60% for appointments. These are far and away the most frequently used functions for handhelds.
Only about 15% of users read or write their e-mail, and about 5% browse the Web with their device. Sadly, not even 1% use any of the huge number of handheld applications available.
This takes into account all handheld types, not just ones that run the Palm OS.
According to Forrester Research, at least one person in 6% of U.S. households use a Palm.
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RE: Broke!
They might try a few thing here and there, but then they decide they will not use it as much or its too spensive!!
The other is that the average user does not know where to get software, for their information
RE: Broke!
The reason you are not making money is because people want free software.
I'm not so sure about that one - sure, maybe it's partly that people don't know how to install (or find) third-party software, but I doubt that everyone's just CHEAP. Speaking for myself I'll always use the free version if presented with two identical applications, but for particular features I will pay -- just not $30 per app. I've paid for iSilo, HanDbase, FlashPro, Galax, Zap!, QuickWord, HandyMap, and a few others that escape me right now (no longer installed). And I don't think I'm alone out there.
So if someone's having trouble (and the original poster sounded more like he was just carping for fun) then it's probably not as simple as "People won't buy software".
RE: Broke!
RE: Broke!
Datebk4
WordSmith
TealDoc
TealPaint
TealGlance
BackUp Buddy
CityTime
HackMaster
SwitchHack
SelectHack
FindHack
FitalyStamp
JFile Pro
TinySheet
FlashPro (for Palm III & Palm V)
JackFlash (for Palm m505)
Parens
AcidFreeell
AcidSolitaire
Zap!2016
PocketQuicken 2.0 (well, for my wife's Palm V)
A few of these have fallen by the wayside with changes to PalmOS, but I've certainly done my part to support the Palm development community. ;)
RE: Broke!
RE: Broke!
How in the world did I wind up this way (i.e. how can you create other users like me)? I research products before I buy them, and I do a lot of my research on the Net. This naturally led me to sites like this one and also to PalmGear. It was so natural that I confess that I am astonished that more people haven't done or can't do that. Maybe a lot more handheld users have visited sites like PalmGear than we are aware of, but they didn't see a need for any of the apps/hacks or maybe they just didn't understand how to d/l and install them.
When I installed my first hack, I couldn't figure out how to make it work. I asked about my trouble in a forum and that's how I learned about X-Master. I wonder how many other people make mistakes like this, don't ask about it, and walk in away in disappointed, frustrated confusion.
Any guesses?
We need another study: WHY are most handheld users so ignorant of the wonderful world of apps and enhancements out there?
RE: Broke!
Powerpower had an article on PalmGear where it stated a developer who makes a living out of making Palm software: http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200103/palmgear001.html
Finally, a software success depends much on useability/good design, marketing skills, and luck. Maybe you had targeted a crowded market, too a small niche market, or just posted it on PalmGear once and forgot about it. Regular updates can draw new users to the product as it become more visible on PalGears' frontpage.
RE: Broke!
RE: Broke!
RE: Broke!
14allCalc $8.00
ActNames $19.95
DayNotez $14.95
DietLog bundle $49.00 (included WeightLog and DietLog)
Froggy $10.00
Galax $19.95
HandMap $16.00
6 Maps $22.00
iSilo $12.50
IntelligentFind $9.95
Klondike $12.00
Orion Mail $10.95
PktQuicken $29.99
PktQuicken upg $14.95
ThinkDB2/dbSync $39.95
Trip $19.95
WordSmith $19.95
Ababall $9.95
AdressPro $19.95
AfterBurner $8.00
AquaTrac $8.00
AutoSync free w/BackupBuddy
BackupBuddy $19.95
Beam Box $5.00
ClearHack $5.00
ClipHack $7.00
Commander $14.95
Counter $5.00
Jot Bundle $39.95
LeftHack $10.00
MagicText $17.95
MiniCalc $29.95
PalmJongg $12.00
Pilot Info $10.00
PocketWatch+ $5.00
Pool $7.00
PopUp Calc $9.95
QuickBits $14.95
QuickWord $19.95
Recycle $12.00
ReDo $11.95
OmniRemote $20.00
PDABomb FREE
ShiftHack $5.00
HackMaster $5.00
Sign-On w/Jot
Silence $5.00
TimeSync free w/BackupBuddy
TrapWeavr $5.00
UnDupe $4.95
WordComplete w/Jot
InstallBuddy $24.95
Mocha MPPP $12.00
Total $715.39
Lets not leave out Palm hardware:
Palm III $220.00 (Pawn shop)
Palm IIIc $449.00
Palm m505 $449.00
Palm modem $95.00
TRG 8MB card $249.00
Revolve Car adapter $50.00
Chamelon stylus $18.95
Fisher Space Pen $24.00
EB m505 slipper case $36.00
Cross peb stylus refill $6.00
HotSync cacle $19.95
Extra USB cradle $37.95
Total $1654.85
GRAND TOTAL $2370.24
RE: Broke!
!pZip $8.00
FlashPro 2.0 $4.95
RE: Broke!
RE: Broke!
RE: Broke!
Thanks it was a good read. What you didn't mention was the developer "who lives like a king" lives in Croatia where if I recall right has a cost of living around 1/10th of the USA.
Put it in plain terms. You only need to earn a 4 figure salary to get by nicely!
Moral of the story... Become a developer, shift to Croatia, live like a king. :)
RE: Broke!
Back in late '99 I wrote several Palm programs, which you can view here: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mcdan
The programs have been (I think) mildly successful. Certainly not enough to live on, as one posted put it, but not a bad income for a hobby, either. The three pieces of software that I sell--GadgetHack, Padlock Plus and Graspeedy--are all $4.95 and are sold on PalmGear and Handango. (Handango has been responsible for a negligable amount of sales. All sales come through PalmGear.) Both sites take 20% of the price of the program ($.99) for every license sold.
To date I've received $11,024.04. And I haven't updated the software in two years. So I guess you could say that it's been a nice residual income, although if I don't get my tail in gear it will soon phase itself out. My best month was January 2000 (which, due to the way PalmGear waits 30 days before cutting a check means that it was from Christmas 1999 sales), for $1,405.80. Last month I received a check for $186.12.
Some of the sales have come from multiple licenses. A large customer in Canada (I don't think I should say their name) paid $1,000 CDN for a number of licenses--we made a deal so they could finish out their year's budget. However, I believe most of the sales are from people interested in security--Padlock Plus is the best seller of the three--and don't mind paying $4.95 for a program. For a while, a freeware version of Padlock Plus, PadlockHack, was on PalmGears Top 50 page. A lot of early sales may have come through that link.
I think that if I devoted all my time and energy into creating Palm software and doing Palm consulting I could make a decent living. However, I already make a decent living as a programmer during the day and I'm not prepared to make that leap of faith.
You may have thought, "Wow, $11K is a lot of money. What'd he do with it?" Well, $11,000 _is_ a lot of money. Unfortunately, the IRS takes nearly half. (Self-employment taxes are really rough.) I also donate 20% of the pre-tax sales to charity. At the time of the greatest sales I was getting married, so all my available money went to that. And after that we made it a priority to get out of debt. So even though in a lump sum, it's a lot of money, over a month to month basis it hasn't made a large dent--I haven't bought myself a plasma display, kept up with the latest and greatest Palm device, bought all the coolest accessories, etc. I _have_ used it to pay for my "technology pays for technology" adage: my monthly cell phone bill and cable Internet access.
Anyway, it's been nice receiving a royalties check in the mail each month, even if the dwindling amount is a constant reminder that the public desparately needs an update that will work on OS 3.5.2 and OS 4.0 and that I feel that my skills are getting rusty and don't even know of my sources will compile with the latest palm dev kit. But I hope the above information proved interesting. Thanks for reading this far.
Daniel McCarty
That's what PDAs are for.
Since it is the main reason for buying it and they spend 60% of the time doing that, I think it is fully utilitised.
Unlike some people who purchase PDA with all the added features and don't use them more than 20% of the time, like playing videos, listening to music.....etc
And it is a good reason why Pocket PC is not as popular as Palm, It's because not many people are using the multimedia features found mainly in Pocket PC.
For PIM work, a slim light-weight Vx or m500 series is a strong contender for any business executives.
Not many people will think of reading ebooks, listening to music, viewing pictures, reading Doc/Xls..etc on a PDA.
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
Compared to many "non-techie" PC users I meet who upgrade every two years because they filled their Hard Drives full of useless software off magazine coverdisks, the average "non-techie" palm user seems to be completely ignorant of the range of software available for their device.
Furthermore many people I meet are still uncomfortable buying something over the web without a box. They struggle to perceive the value of a $60 palm application, as it comes sans packaging. Added to this the huge amount of very poor Palm software now available (due in some part to the proliferation of easy to use programming environments) may mean people get put off digging out the Gems.
I used to work for a company that had invested heavily in Palm V's. They then decided they didn't do what they wanted and were going to scrap them and move onto something else. They hadn't even considered the possibility of 3rd party software solutions. d'oh.
-
kHiTeDev
Medical Profession's Use of PDA's
I hardly have any need to carry anything else in my pocket other than my m505 since I am carrying quite an abundant source of medical material just by having it with me.
Others have several versions of the Bible as well in their Palms including myself. Most of the software I have with the exception of Epocrates were purchased but there are quite a number of free applications out there dealing with the medical field.
Ray
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
Medical Profession's Use of PDA's
So long as those using it realize they don't have the "whole story" it shouldn't be a major problem.
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
If you want to use simple PIM, just go to local electronic store and check those cheap personal organizer which cost $30-$40 dollars!
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
There are plenty of ways to play games, and one can hardly claim you HAVE to buy a PDA for that capability.
However, a basic use of a PDA is to let you carry around reference information very useful to you,
that you might not easily lay your hands on. Many of the third party apps (especially the data bases)
address this issue, and failing to use them is underutilization for most people (let's exclude reference librarians and people with
eidetic memories, who probably do not need an extra 8MB on their person).
Almost everyone can greatly benefit from carrying some lists, DBs, refererence memos, restaurant reviews, grocery items, etc., not to mention info specific to almost every type of job and hobby.
The study points out (sadly) that most people are not able to go all the way through the process of:
- recognizing their need
- finding a way to meet it on the palm
- remembering to use that capability.
I think the big PDA companies (such as PALM) should be running ads that highlight awareness of
this type of PDA use. How often have you seen an ad in which a specific problem is solved by a specific PDA
add-on capability?
- toby robison
cpaths@bellatlantic.net
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
ways my palm is underutilized
medical text, email, graphic doodle pad, paper weight, and skipping stone.
the palm is a PDA, it is an organizer. Most people use it this way.... hence it is "mostly" utilized.
of course that makes for a boring story.
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
RE: That's what PDAs are for.
Most companies use Lotus Notes, Groupwise (for that you have to use Intellisync)..etc
They want their appointments/contacts and emails to be "ported" to their PDA when they are on the move and re-sync with the PC/laptop when they are back in office.
If a $30 "PDA" can do that, I will agree it will seriously affect Palm's sales.
Surprised
This is so curious because I know that many of those are 'techies' . . . seems they would take the time to explore at least.
I know that I use Datebk4 and Progect ever single day . . . . .
"handheld applications" Use
-------------
macbert
RE: most users do not know of their handheld power
Good subject for a survey
RE: Good subject for a survey
I don't want to add up how muc I've spent over the years. The pricey stuff would be Documents to go; gluco-pilot and DP Web. I need a frequent buyer discount for peanut press. If it's important it goes on the palm from family pictures to important documents
RE: Good subject for a survey
I think someone hinted at a good idea for Palm marketing to consider, and that's to push harder for people to even KNOW they can install other applications. Their agreement with PalmGear has helped make finding apps easier, but that's still only good for people who think to LOOK for them. They should do some kind of "More than an Address Book" campaign so that all the new users know that they can find specialized applications of all kinds through their web site, or other sites. A To-do or Memo with information on where to go to get started would be a good start.
PUGs are a good resource for new users as well. Palm should include an address book entry for InterPUG, too.
While their at it, they should make a deal with chris Antos and include a version of HandyShopper2 on there. Everyone has to go shopping for stuff, whether they admit to it or not. ':-)
RE: Good subject for a survey
No surprise!
This also accounts for any slippage in Palm sales. I was in a store where some overdressed, overfed, overpaid dolt came in to cop a feel of the m505. The salesman pointed out the new slot for additional storage. Mr. Dolt proudly whipped out his Vx and bragged that he could hardly fill one of its eight megs.
I had to leave. I was getting nauseous...
Really not surprising, if he fits the mold of the article
I didn't outgrow a meg of memory until I started keeping ebooks and maps on my Palm.
Jon Acheson
RE: No surprise!
RE: No surprise!
Just because the guy looking at the m505 barely scratches the capacity of his Vx doesn't make him less of a human being than you. Maybe he's browsed a lot of software or even sampled it, and he doesn't see sufficient need for it. That's why companies offer DEMOS--you should really look it up. And you shouldn't judge this guy just because he didn't marvel at the SD/MMC slot like you do.
The only thing that should nauseate you is your own over-inflated ego.
RE: No surprise!
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Broke!