Access spokesman says PalmOS reaching end of life

[Bob Russell]

Palm is dead. How many times have we heard that? It almost rings completely hollow after so many false alarms. But now we hear it said by Access, the company that owns PalmOS. The hardware company Palm, Inc may be okay, but our beloved PalmOS is in trouble.

From Computer Business Review,
"A spokesperson for Access told Computer Business Review that a logical end-of-life is expected for the Palm operating system (OS) and that the company anticipates being able to offer an integrated OS solution "sitting on top of a Linux kernel".

These statements confirm the impression garnered at the time of the acquisition that Access's strategic interest in acquiring PalmSource was in getting its hands on the Linux development capabilities PalmSource acquired at the end of last year when it bought China Mobilesoft."

The article concludes that "...while the Access spokesperson pointed out that Palm had also renewed its deal with PalmSource for supply of the OS through 2009 just prior to the acquisition by Access, the writing is clearly on the wall for what was once the last word in mobile device operating systems."

It sounds like it's almost time to put the nail in coffin, doesn't it? There are still some long shot possibilities....
1) Access is going to produce a pda/smartphone platform called by another name, so even though it's basically PalmOS for Linux, they want to distance themselves from the Palm name which is owned by Palm, Inc anyway. I don't think this is the case, though, because if they were planning to do a continuation of PalmOS, they probably would have unveiled a new name and said it continues the great PalmOS tradition. This approach doesn't make any sense if PalmOS is living on over Linux.
2) Palm, Inc could probably still purchase the rights to PalmOS outright and maintain it themselves. But I don't see that happening either. They have a contract for PalmOS through 2009, and that's more than enough time to dump it altogether. Even if they wanted to continue development on PalmOS, they probably only would do that if they could hire on the development team, which would probably be ruled out in any purchase agreement with Access. Just doesn't look likely.
3) PalmOS is "given" to the development community to live on as open source. This is not likely either, as it would be handing over too much intellectual property.
4) PalmOS is sold to another competitor. I doubt it, but it is possible.
5) The story could be misleading. Yeah, and I might win the lottery tomorrow also.

I still hope that PalmOS has a bright future, but with this news for the owner of PalmOS, I think it's time for me to keep an eye out for a Linux or Win Mobile device. While I won't say "RIP" yet, it sure doesn't look good.

Still, as Jeff Kirvin has said in the past, no matter what happens, and no matter how fast PalmOS dies in terms of new products, the Palm device you have in your hand will continue to work. The PalmOS community is here to stay for a long long time.

Thanks to Lindsey Dyson from Palm Addicts for this important scoop. If you want evidence of the strength of the ongoing PalmOS community, be sure to stop over and visit them.

Update: According to one of the comments at the Engadget post, Ed Hardy of Brighthand wrote the following:

I've spoken with PalmSource and the CBR article is completely incorrect.

As Shawn and Craig pointed out, the next version of the Palm OS will be based on Linux. But it will still run Palm OS applications and have the Palm OS look and feel.

PalmSource is working to get CBR to retract the article.

Ed Hardy
Editor-in-Chief
Brighthand.com

I consider Ed to be a very reliable and very thorough reporter of these things, so this is probably all just a mistake. Phwew!

[Chaos]

Also over on Engadget.

Wow... Palm OS... Gone... I think I'll go cry , now that the only OS that could currently compete with MS in the mobile market is gone... I suppose Palm can continue to make PalmOS devices, but the OS won't be changing much...

Time to look towards Linux as the only possible competitor with Windows Mobile. Or maybe Apple will finally get in the game. Also I think I shall have to do some heavy work on my Zaurus ROM, to make it a useful handheld. Maybe I'll think about trying to port the ROM to other Zaurus models too....

[Jimmie Geddes]

I wrote my thoughts on the obituary. I think it's the shift to the Palm GUI running on top of Linux. Palm bought all rights to the Palm name, thus ACCESS would not be able to call it "Palm OS".
http://www.gadgetsonthego.net/2005/1...m-os-dead.html

[Jimmie Geddes]

I think it could be more re-incarnation than death

[Laurens]

Brighthand - Despite What You May Have Read, the Palm OS Is NOT Dead:

An article that appears in the Computer Business Review says that Access Co, Ltd. intends to phase out the Palm OS in the near future.

According to a PalmSource spokesperson, this is completely incorrect.

[Dick Tracy]

The timing of this article comes on the heels of Palm's release of two potentially very successful new devices. Could this be marketing rather than news?

This is yet another misrepresentation of old news. Access can't use the Palm brandname since Palm bought it back. The Linux kernel with PalmUI and planned compatibility to existing applications has been publicly in development for some time.

Nothing to see here except the need for more fact-checking and less spin at CBR.

[Alexander Turcic]

They may call it the death of Palm, but at the end it is just a name change and doesn't affect customers as long as PalmSource is working towards its goals of delivering a next-gen mobile operation system.

[Bob Russell]

I hear word that PalmSource refutes the story, but has anyone heard Access refute the story? It's their spokesman that was supposed to have made the comments... maybe PalmSource and Access are not in agreement?

[Laurens]

The CBR article has been retracted. Storm in a teacup really, all because of yellow journalism.

[Smiley88]

My first handheld was a Casio Cassiopeia running Win CE back in '99. It was a brick but I loved it for being compact (for its time). Eventually, I bought a Palm OS device and have stuck with it ever since.

Why would Access (certainly not a household name) seek to axe the Palm brand with so much name cache and millions in advertising invested? It would seem silly to wash away so much notoriety and attention. Certainly, no one is eagerly anticipating the next "Access OS."

Part of the reason many of us use Palm is to support an alternative to MS who already has gained enough market share to dominate. Plus, Palm has so many applications that it really is a great choice for the majority of users.

Do you think the upcoming Linux OS would simply keep much of the Palm look and feel and be rolled out like the next Palm OS version?

Biggest problem for Palm OS devices longterm is the lack of user replaceable batteries. It certainly limits the longevity of these devices remaining in the mainstream for much over a couple of years (forcing us to upgrade to newer devices). Does anyone know how we can force Palm to start making all Palms have replaceable batteries? Please, please? If we could keep our devices running we have a substantial marketshare to demand more from our manufacturers. But, once they're dead there is no more demand.

[Laurens]

Originally Posted by Smiley88

Part of the reason many of us use Palm is to support an alternative to MS who already has gained enough market share to dominate. Plus, Palm has so many applications that it really is a great choice for the majority of users.

The number-of-applications argument has always rang false to me. Usually, there are only 2 or 3 really good products (for a given category) and evaluating 10 inferior alternatives is only a waste of time. The actual number of genuinely useful applications may very well be equal between platforms.

Originally Posted by Smiley88

Does anyone know how we can force Palm to start making all Palms have replaceable batteries? Please, please? If we could keep our devices running we have a substantial marketshare to demand more from our manufacturers. But, once they're dead there is no more demand.

You hit the nail on the head there. Much of the computing industry lives off the replacement cycle. (Also note that the Tungsten E and E2 only have 3 months warranty in the US.) One could theorize that HP and Dell have user-replaceable batteries because handhelds are not their primary business. Anyway, the only way to "force" Palm to adopt replaceable batteries is to vote with your wallet.

[cervezas]

Originally Posted by BobR

I hear word that PalmSource refutes the story, but has anyone heard Access refute the story? It's their spokesman that was supposed to have made the comments... maybe PalmSource and Access are not in agreement?

Yes, according to Ryan Kairer at PalmInfocenter, the ACCESS spokesman who was interviewed directly refuted the story when Ryan spoke with him. For their part CBM has promised to publish a retraction later today.

The whole thing was obviously a misunderstanding by a reporter who was ignorant of the fact that Palm OS is already being redeveloped on a Linux kernel. ACCESS had already stated that their enthusiasm for acquiring PalmSource is not just about obtaining more Linux developer talent but about acquiring a platform with lots of 3rd party applications and developers: see this English language Japanese web site for example.

[Smiley88]

Well, certainly a larger diversity of applications increases the user's amount of choice which I fail to see as a negative. Each person has their own tastes and preferences. Variety is the spice of life as they say. Yet, I appreciate your point as quality is the aim not quantity necessarily.

My goal is to avoid any unnecessary dollars into MS as possible. Voting with my wallet means compromising my goal. The only other alternatives are the Zaurus or another means like an iPod/PSP/etc. I like the iPod (have one) but miss the input methods and the same goes for the PSP. The Zaurus is too small of a niche market. I just had Sony replace the battery in my Clie (just got the call from the repair depot a few minutes ago). But don't anticipate the Sony/Palm batteries being in stock a year or two from now.

So, my (hopefully 'our') best route is lobby Palm to replicate the Treo idea of replaceable batteries. It can't be rocket science if we all whine loud enough... :-)

Scott

[Laurens]

Originally Posted by Smiley88

Well, certainly a larger diversity of applications increases the user's amount of choice which I fail to see as a negative. Each person has their own tastes and preferences. Variety is the spice of life as they say. Yet, I appreciate your point as quality is the aim not quantity necessarily.

I agree that variety is good, but my point is that it isn't always feasible in practice. Developing, maintaining and supporting a non-trivial application is still a huge task. Time is money and good work takes time. In practice, only two or three applications manage to rise to the top.