Dell may be leaving the PDA market

Bob Russell · 04-21-2006, 04:20 PM

Dell has provided some very nice Windows Mobile PDAs to the market in recent years, including those coveted VGA models. But it seems that there are some rumblings that Dell may not be selling these devices for very much longer. The competition in the non-smartphone PDA market is definitely slimming down.

According to a post at PDA Live there are no more PDAs coming to market from Dell. "I was watching DL.TV today. The episode from April 11, 2006 and Patick Norton said he hear from someone at Dell that said that Dell will not be making any more new PDA's. You can still purchase the existing PDA's that they have made, but they will not be developing or releasing any new pda's."

These rumors are fun and often informative, but remember as always that until there is an announcement, it is all just speculation.

Via JKOnTheRun

Laurens · 04-21-2006, 04:31 PM

It's been awfully quiet on the PDA front anyway. It looks like Palm won't be releasing any new models this Spring, for instance. Usually, the rumor mill starts spinning months in advance, but I haven't seen anything except leaked info on new Treo's.

Snappy! · 04-22-2006, 12:33 AM

Maybe Dell is going into UMPCs? :/

Bob Russell · 04-23-2006, 08:25 AM

I hope Dell is going into UMPCs! But I still think companies are crazy to release an Origami device before the new cheaper and power conserving cpus come out (unless it's simply for brand recognition in that market or a trial run to gear up for the "perfect" product later). I guess the recent news is that they will generally be using Intel, which is one reason the price point of $400-$500 may take longer.

On the Dell PDA front, we have some more news from Palm Addicts and Brighthand, but still inconclusive... http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=12175

Sounds very feasible. But then that's what the strategy would be for a slick PR person at Dell if they were dumping the pdas soon also. For example, they may not have made a final decision, but don't intend to ever continue with another pda, yet want to milk the current model.

If they were planning to continue with pdas, I think they would at least be in development of the next generation already, so to me this indicates that they are pretty much done. If that's the case, it's a shame because they really did provide some great devices. (I wonder who did the manufacturing for them?) And the only reason that the x51v isn't completely spectacular is the growing pains that come with Win Mobile 5. But in time that will shake out. I just hope it shakes out in a Dell pda also.

So maybe they are sticking with it, maybe they are not. But whatever their plans are, at least they aren't running out of the market and abandoning the user base the way Sony did a few years back!

04-21-2006, 04:20 PM	#1
Bob Russell MobileRead Editor Posts: 4,923 Karma: 24061 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: Sony PRS500, Treo 700p, Dell x50v, Lenovo X61t	Dell may be leaving the PDA market Dell has provided some very nice Windows Mobile PDAs to the market in recent years, including those coveted VGA models. But it seems that there are some rumblings that Dell may not be selling these devices for very much longer. The competition in the non-smartphone PDA market is definitely slimming down. According to a post at PDA Live there are no more PDAs coming to market from Dell. "I was watching DL.TV today. The episode from April 11, 2006 and Patick Norton said he hear from someone at Dell that said that Dell will not be making any more new PDA's. You can still purchase the existing PDA's that they have made, but they will not be developing or releasing any new pda's." These rumors are fun and often informative, but remember as always that until there is an announcement, it is all just speculation. Via JKOnTheRun

04-21-2006, 04:31 PM	#2
Laurens Jah Blessed Posts: 1,295 Karma: 1313 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: The Netherlands Device: iPod Touch	It's been awfully quiet on the PDA front anyway. It looks like Palm won't be releasing any new models this Spring, for instance. Usually, the rumor mill starts spinning months in advance, but I haven't seen anything except leaked info on new Treo's. __________________ "Love like your life depends on it - because it does!" - Michael Franti

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04-22-2006, 12:33 AM	#3
Snappy! Addict Posts: 260 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2006 Device: SHARP Zaurus C1000	Maybe Dell is going into UMPCs? :/

04-23-2006, 08:25 AM	#4
Bob Russell MobileRead Editor Posts: 4,923 Karma: 24061 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: Sony PRS500, Treo 700p, Dell x50v, Lenovo X61t	I hope Dell is going into UMPCs! But I still think companies are crazy to release an Origami device before the new cheaper and power conserving cpus come out (unless it's simply for brand recognition in that market or a trial run to gear up for the "perfect" product later). I guess the recent news is that they will generally be using Intel, which is one reason the price point of $400-$500 may take longer. On the Dell PDA front, we have some more news from Palm Addicts and Brighthand, but still inconclusive... http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=12175 Sounds very feasible. But then that's what the strategy would be for a slick PR person at Dell if they were dumping the pdas soon also. For example, they may not have made a final decision, but don't intend to ever continue with another pda, yet want to milk the current model. If they were planning to continue with pdas, I think they would at least be in development of the next generation already, so to me this indicates that they are pretty much done. If that's the case, it's a shame because they really did provide some great devices. (I wonder who did the manufacturing for them?) And the only reason that the x51v isn't completely spectacular is the growing pains that come with Win Mobile 5. But in time that will shake out. I just hope it shakes out in a Dell pda also. So maybe they are sticking with it, maybe they are not. But whatever their plans are, at least they aren't running out of the market and abandoning the user base the way Sony did a few years back!