Column: LifeDrive can't replace iPod
updated 04:00 pm EDT, Thu May 19, 2005
LifeDrive vs iPod
Tim Beyers of The Motley Fool says palmOne's new . palmOne is billing the new handheld as an alternative to Apple's iPod, and even as a laptop replacement. "Look, I like palmOne, but let's be serious," Beyers writes. "There's little chance that the LifeDrive will displace the iPod or my PowerBook. But I can't blame the company for trying." Beyers speculates palmOne is trying to regain lost market share. The PDA market during the first quarter grew 25% over the same period a year ago, but palmOne was no longer the market leader. Rival Research In Motion shipped more units, grabbing the top spot with more than 20% of the market while palmOne dropped to 18%, a level it hasn't seen since the mid-'90s.
iTunes Music Store
05/19, 06:50pm reply
If this thing had access to music from the iTunes music store, I would think seriously about getting one. I'm in need of a Palm upgrade, and I would like to replace my old 64MB MP3 player. If Apple extended support to the PDA company that has long extended support to the Mac, then I'd probably wind up getting one of these nifty little things.
Detrius
Professional Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Lame Article
05/19, 08:44pm reply
C'mon MacNN!
Do you guys just quote anything on the net with the words "Apple", "iPod", or "PowerBook"?
This article says nothing, really. It's just a bunch of mumbo jumbo about stocks and Palm's current financial status. That has nothing to do with the function of the LifeDrive.
Furthermore, Palm never positioned this product as a replacement for a laptop. It's a PDA with media capabilities, and the ability to edit/view some Office docs (view only PowerPoint). Yeah sure, it doesn't run iTunes.... SO WHAT? Does all the media you consume have to come from the Apple store or be managed by iTunes?
I dunno, I think if it works as advertised, it's a nice product for people who commute quite a bit to manage lots of info. Having wireless and bluetooth allows you to be connected w/o having to drag around your freaking heavy PowerBook everywhere.
umijin
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2004
Nice Device
05/19, 09:32pm reply
I must admit, I was a little caught off guard by this... I may end up getting one. If it can play unprotected .aac files, and also supports stylus input, it's a done deal.
himself
Mac Elite
Joined: Jan 2002
20GB iPod
05/19, 09:49pm reply
I'd totally get this as a PDA alongside my iPod. Oddly, what puzzles me is the claim that it can replace the iPod in handling my mp3 collection. My iPod has 20GB and the LifeDrive has 4GB. Pretty obvious, isn't it?
cyeoh
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
Ditto
05/20, 02:35am reply
Ditto on flamebait article.
klinux
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2002
palmOne STILL PDA leader
05/20, 11:51pm reply
I am totally tired of hearing that RIM owns this PDA spot. What is a RIM device? It is a _WIRELESS_ device, outside the realm of PDA. Well, so is the Treo 650 which was NOT counted in this assumption of market leader... and if you add the PDAs AND Treos that palmOne sells, it ESTABLISHES palmOne as the leader. I hate it when incorrect things are cited so many times it seems to become fact!
TheGuyWhoKnows
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005