It’s been rumored that Apple would reenter the PDA market almost since the company left it in 1997, when it killed off the Newton. One industry expert who doesn’t believe the hype is Albert Chu, a Newton veteran from Apple who has since gone on to spearhead business development at PalmSource. Recently Chu spoke with UK’s MacUser.
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Chu acknowledges Apple’s role as a key player in the rise of the PDA market, but said that the company isn’t big enough to sustain a presence in the market now, especially with major players like Dell now on board with PocketPC devices.
From the relative safety of hindsight, Chu said that Apple should have paid as much attention to form factor as to technology. “One of the things that made Palm so successful from the get-go was it fitting your palm, it had long battery life, all the attributes that would make you want something like this,” he said.
Looking to the future, Chu said that PalmSource is focusing on developing Palm OS 6 to be more developer-friendly, with an emphasis on wireless applications. The company also has its eye on expanding the role of Palm-powered devices in the home and elsewhere.