Palm's LifeDrive May Be Out of Production * UPDATED *

[Ed Hardy]

Update: According to a statement from a Palm executive, there is no truth to the rumor that the LifeDrive has gone out of production. Read more in this article.

 

There is a rumor going around the Web that Palm has stopped production of its LifeDrive Mobile Manager.

Many people have immediately jumped to the conclusion that this means Palm has abandoned the concept of a handheld with a built-in hard drive.

While it is, of course, possible that this is the case, it isn't the most likely scenario.

No JIT Production Here

When someone orders a LifeDrive, Palm doesn't call the factory and order a new one be made. Instead, it stockpiles units for a few months in advance.

Therefore, if this rumor is true and Palm has just stopped production on this model, it means it intends to continue selling this device for several more months.

A quick glance at at the calendar will show that October is three months from now, which is the month Palm almost always announces its new models.

Popular with Palm

As further evidence, this company has on numerous occasions expressed support for the Mobile Manager concept.

Just this spring, Palm made a few guarded comments about a future LifeDrive to Brighthand's Brian Beeler.

This scenario fits in well with the way this company handles its other product lines. For example, it recently announced that it had stopped shipping Treo 650s to Europe because it already had enough there to meet demand until a replacement could debut this fall.

Based on these two two pieces of evidence, it's more likely that Palm has stopped production of this handheld because it is preparing a new version, rather than dropping this product line.

 

[GauBan]

On a bright side this means there could be a new LifeDrive on the way at last.

Or as most people are saying. That the LifeDrive is dead and palm with continue pushing Treo and standard Palm devices.

[Scoobie10]

I'm in doubt that we'll see another LD or mobile manager. With the giant gap between the sale of Treo's and PDA's being what it is, I think it's more likely we'll see much more concentration on smartphones.

[Brian]

You have to remember that Palm ownes the traditional PDA space, so they're not going to just shut that part of the business down, even if it is of declining importance. They like the LD platform too because it opens more doors in the portable media space, something that is on the rise. I don't think they're shutting down, the LD2 is coming. Of course I have no official information on this, as if I did I couldn't share it.

[Ed Hardy]

I'm in doubt that we'll see another LD or mobile manager. With the giant gap between the sale of Treo's and PDA's being what it is, I think it's more likely we'll see much more concentration on smartphones.

During the phone conference after announcing its winter quarter results, Palm's CEO flat out said that his company will continue to make handhelds for one simple reason: it is making money by doing so.

There's no doubt that Palm's flagship products are now smartphones, but it has no intention of abandoning a profitable business.

And, as I said in the article, Palm there is good evidence that Palm is committed to making future Mobile Managers.

[Scoobie10]

Excellent news. I've really been wondering what the future of the handheld would be considering all of the emerging convergence technology.

[surur]

Actually they said PDA's transition people over to smartphones, which is why they wanted to continue selling them. Palm makes a very small profit, considering their revenue, and the margins are lower with PDA's than smartphones. They will continue selling low-end devices, but I would not be surprised if they abandon the high end.

Surur

[Timothy Rapson]

I might have bought a Livedrive, but it was too thick and heavy. I upgraded from Zire 72 to a Toshiba e800 with an 8 GB CF drive. About the same size and weight, but I can take the 8 GB drive with me if I upgrade.
If the LifeDrive wakes up and moves as sleepily as my Toshiba, I can see why no one wanted them.

[sojourner753]

The question that remains is will they move forward with Windows Mobile? Or PalmOS?

[PlasticMan]

why are some so ready to believe the worst?