Palm Handheld Sales Surpass 20 Million Mark.

Posted By: Ryan Wednesday, December 18, 2002 5:50:32 PM

PRESS RELEASE: Palm Solutions Group today said it has sold more than 20 million handhelds to consumers, mobile professionals and businesses around the world. Spurred by the sales of its two new products, the Palm Zire and Tungsten T handhelds, Palm branded devices continue to be the world's most popular handhelds.

The introduction of the original Pilot handheld from Palm in 1996 ignited a revolution in handheld computing around the world. The simplicity, tiny size, low price tag and long battery life of Palm products -- along with the unprecedented one-button backup to a personal computer -- led to rapid adoption of the device and its Palm successors. Because Palm products let people stay connected to their most important information, they have become valuable tools to corporate executives and mobile professionals worldwide, expanding quickly into the consumer markets and winning the hearts of customers from college students to soccer moms. Palm remains the world's favorite handheld by being easy to use, expandable, wearable and highly mobile. The enduring advantage of a Palm handheld is that information is only a tap or two away versus the PC-style experience of complex dialog boxes and multiple, confusing steps to accomplish a basic task.

Last year, Palm branded handhelds commanded 39.4 percent of the worldwide personal companion handheld device market, according to IDC. This year, the company's market share has stayed constant, even though the competitive landscape has attracted more than 10 Palm Powered(TM) licensees and more than 20 Microsoft Pocket PC-based devices. Still a nascent market, Palm research shows that in the U.S. alone there are more than 63 million individuals interested in p urchasing handheld devices(1).

A pop culture symbol
Over the years, Palm has entered the lexicon as a definition of a handheld computer, and remains an enduring symbol of the social change initiated by Silicon Valley pioneers. The familiar three-ring HotSync(R) function "song" that plays when a user backs up the data on a personal computer has become a catchy tune from the boardroom to the kitchen desk. Even California's official Web site ( http://www.ca.gov ) carries a picture of a Palm branded handheld computer alongside pictures of world-famous Napa Valley grapes, the universally recognized San Francisco cable car, and the hillside letters spelling another cultural icon: Hollywood. In New York, Palm handhelds inspired a love song performed in a new off-Broadway production called the Water Coolers - The Ultimate Job Review. Palm branded handhelds have also made appearances on television shows such as David Letterman, Friends, Will & Grace, Law & Order, and Sex and the City.

"The new converts who bought Palm Zire handhelds symbolize the beginning of a new generation of handheld users," said Todd Bradley, president and chief executive officer of Palm Solutions Group. "Zire handhelds are augmenting if not replacing paper-based organization systems, and are truly making a difference in the lives of users.

"The Tungsten T is quickly becoming the new gold-standard in handheld computing," added Bradley. "Palm is a trusted choice with a comprehensive family of products. As your needs grow and change, you'll always be able to find a Palm handheld to keep track of what matters to you."

On Oct. 7, Palm announced the Zire handheld, the most affordable and lightest-weight Palm branded handheld to date. With an estimated U.S. street price of $99, the Palm Zire handheld is designed for the first-time purchaser as "an affordable way to organize your life." Included in BusinessWeek's "The Best Products of 2002," the Zire handheld helps students, families and individuals in business meet the demands of juggling endless events and activities.

Delivering power and precision to professionals worldwide, on Oct. 28, Palm debuted the Palm Tungsten T handheld, a smart and pocketable business device. The Palm Tungsten T handheld's design and software integration deliver smooth, one-handed data management, while new processing power and a new operating system supercharge applications -- making them faster and more efficient. Tungsten T customer reviews from shopping sites such as Amazon.com show that users are thrilled with the brilliant screen, sharp color, stylish design and new processing power.

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I helped.......

Schorsch @ 12/18/2002 5:23:15 PM #

.... Palm with buying of 5 units to raech this number!
Palm V; Palm IIIe; PalmIII xe; Palm Vx; Palm 505; and Tungsten T. Seems it was finaly the last one!!!!!

Georg

RE: I helped.......

YinYang @ 12/18/2002 5:45:21 PM #

So did I...

Let's see, Palm III, Palm IIIxe, m100 and m515 :) One short of what you have, LOL!

RE: I helped.......

hkklife @ 12/18/2002 5:49:45 PM #

Hmmmm I've helped them out over the years by buying:

Palm Pilot Pro, IIIe (got it used), Vx, m505, Tungsten T. My all time favorite nostalgia-wise is the original Pilot Pro. I had the Vx for the longest and the m505 was probably the most disappointing/frustrating. T|T is definitely getting used the most, because I finally have a truly "bright" screen and SD card access times are not as aggrivatingly slow as they were in the 505.

Palm shoulda had an E-bay auction with a fancy looking T|T (or whatever was the 20 millionth one actually manufactured).

As a side note, does anyone know is the m1xx and m5xx series are still in actual production or is Palm just trying to sell off the remaining inventory?

RE: I helped.......

hudsonhawk @ 12/18/2002 8:12:49 PM #

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but isn't the Tungsten technically part of the M5xx series?

IIRC it has an m5something name in preproduction, before marketing got their hands on it and a periodic chart of elements.

RE: I helped.......

hkklife @ 12/18/2002 9:04:26 PM #

Yup, that's right (technically). I actually had no idea it was called the m550 until I read an online review of the day before I bought my own...and I was still skeptical of Palm adhering to the mxxx moniker until I slid mine down and looked on the back. But I think that people will usually just associate the m500, 505 and 515 as the m5xx series, since the Tungsten T has very little in common with those units.

I wonder if the now legendary Palm V/m500 formfactor has been put to permanent rest by Palm?

RE: I helped.......

palmit @ 12/18/2002 10:48:01 PM #

Also helped ...
Palm Pilot Pro(won at seminar), Palm III (my company purchased for me), Palm IIIc, Palm m130 (for wife), Palm TT. Had the Palm IIIc the longest, past on the Palm m505.

RE: I helped.......

momon526 @ 12/19/2002 10:38:18 AM #

mine are:

1. PalmPilot Pro (US Robotics)
2. Palm III (3Com)
3. Palm IIIx
4. Palm IIIxe
5. Palm V
6. Palm Vx
7. Palm m505

and the latest (hopefully the longest) :-)
8. Palm m550 (Tungsten T)

I helped, too!

mikemusick @ 12/19/2002 12:55:57 PM #

At last count...

1 - Palm Pilot Pro
1 - Palm III
2 - Palm IIIc
1 - Palm V
2 - Palm VII
1 - Palm m100
1 - Handspring Visor Prism
1 - Handspring Visor Platinum
1 - Sony Clié T615
1 - HandEra 330
1 - Tungsten T

Even with some of those at developer prices it still translates to a lot of $$$$$$. :(

RE: I helped.......

hotpaw4 @ 12/19/2002 2:31:19 PM #

No oldtimers here? I started with a Pilot 5000 (plus later a 512k upgrade)
PalmPilot Pro
Palm III
Palm V
Palm Vx
Palm m550 (TT)

But I also use a Sony T615C, and somehow ended up
with a Symbol SPT1500, SPT1700, Visor and clear prototype Palm VII.

RE: I helped.......

jjsoh @ 12/19/2002 6:03:46 PM #

Heh. USRobotics!.. ah those were the days..

Though not as long as some of yours, I'd thought I'd share my Palm lineage:

1. Palm Personal
Thought about getting the Pro, but I was a poor college student then. If only the Zire was around back then with current price! :(

2. Palm III
Actually, as a birthday gift, one of my best friends was going to buy me the upgrade card for my Personal. Instead, he gave me the cash to go buy it myself. I used it towards this model instead. Muahahaha... but, 1 month later, the V came out. Doh!

3. Palm m505
Got greedy for more space (when Vindigo was free), I almost got a Vx. Then I heard that m505 was around the corner. Pre-ordered and waited.. waited.. and waited.. and waited some more.. long time for delivery. OH well, at least I got V-like form factor and COLOR!

mmmm... color...

4. Palm Tungsten|T
Oh my... love it. Not perfect, but pretty darn close, IMHO! I'm in PDA bliss (for now). ^_^

Jim

RE: I helped.......

Altema @ 12/19/2002 11:05:44 PM #

Well my list is kind of crazy...

1. IIIe - used, worked great after a new screen.
2. IIIc - new, but had a crazy digitizer.
3. IIIc - replacement, but had bad pixels.
4. IIIc - replacement. Worked flawlessly, blinding screen and solid 14Hr battery life. Accessories disappeared from the shelves and GPS never saw daylight.
5. M505 - New. Worked great until Charging problem and SUDS.
6. M105 - New for the wife. Returned for upgrade.
7. M500 - upgrade from M105. Returned for upgrade.
8. M505 - upgrade from M500 which my wife could not read in class, but this unit was returned due to dim screen.
9. M505 - replacement for above, but this unit was the perfect M505. She still has it and won't give it up.
10. M505 - refurbished replacement for my own M505.
11. M505 - refurbished replacement for my own M505.
12. M505 - refurbished replacement for my own M505.
13. M505 - refurbished replacement for my own M505.
14. M515 - New after getting sick of defective refurbished M505's. Am I forgiving or what? But the M515 was a real-world workhorse which now has even the metal finish worn smooth in places, though it still runs like the day I brought it home and the battery life still rocks.
15. M105 for my 12 year old. Has been kicked, dropped, thrown, wedged, rolled down stairs, and crushed so bad that the case split open. Still works fine.
16. M100 for my 8 year old. No, I did NOT get him the NR he wanted!

How many more?

ska @ 12/18/2002 5:59:11 PM #

It was 20M last January, 22M? 24M? Somebody tell Palm Inc to fix their counter.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2880

RE: How many more?

IanJD @ 12/18/2002 6:12:43 PM #

One figure is for handhelds running PalmOS, one for handhelds sold by Palm Inc. Try reading past the headline.

RE: How many more?

ska @ 12/18/2002 6:17:02 PM #

hmm, gotcha. This means there are probably about 4M or so Sony's treo etc...

RE: How many more?

Davy Fields @ 12/18/2002 8:54:50 PM #

20 million, Palm alone? That be a lot of units.

-Davy Fields
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Palm_OS_5/

RE: How many more?

IanJD @ 12/19/2002 8:27:38 AM #

I wonder what the distribution is between models, and how many are moldering in landfills or cupboards?

(Responsible for five, four rehoused with new owners :) )

RE: How many more?

hkklife @ 12/19/2002 9:32:21 AM #

I'd wager that the Palm V/Vx take up a pretty nice chunk of those numbers, as well as the m1xx series.

Overall, and this is nothing more than a hunch, I'd wager that the Vx has been the all-time single best-selling model in Palm's history. I mean, it lasted through 2 or 3 generations of box packaging redesigns ;-)