Research Paper on:
PDA Market Global Leader Palm Inc.

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
lead is being challenged by Pocket PC devices and the likely future success by Symbian-based Phone-PDAs. Palm OS PDAs should retain its lead in the USA, but some experts  suggest that Palm-based PDAs may not have enough strength outside the U.S. to remain in the worldwide leader past 2005. Palm introduced its Palm Pilot PDAs in 1996 and  captured an overwhelming lead in the industry, a position it still holds. However, competitors are desperately trying to unseat Palm as the leader in the world. Microsoft, HP, Compaq and  other leading PC companies have introduced their own pocket PC-based products that are gaining a market share. Linux-based PDAs are also appearing and may do well in a few years.  Additionally, Phone-PDAs using Symbians Epoc OS will pose a competitive threat to Palm. The future winner depends on how the PDA market evolves. The more capability future PDAs need, the  better the Pocket PC stack up against Palm devices. If Phone-PDAs take off, Epoc-based products are likely to further erode Palms position. Experts predict that Palm may enjoy increased unit  sales over the next five years. At the same time, these experts say that Palm will lose more than half its current market share. These analyses are based on the  fact that Microsofts Win CE- Pocket PC OS has been successful in gaining a 20 percent market share in just a few years. To retain its lead and profitability, Palm  must evolve and innovate. They are currently working on a new operating system for expanded functionality of their PDAs. They also need to introduce high-end devices that can compete directly  with the Windows CE Pocket PC-based products such as Compaqs iPAQ, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia and Casio. Regardless of what industry experts forecast, they leave out one important factor - Palm