Adam Wozniak wrote:
> Steve Sabram wrote:
>
> > Don't know what you budget is on but a bunch of bluetooth Springboards is coming
>out soon. Also, there have been several articles
> > recently about Palm releasing Bluetooth enabled Palm devices buy the end of the
>year.
>
> Regarding Springboard...
>
> I've seen lots of press releases and very little released product. My gut feeling
>is that there just aren't enough
> Handspring devices in the universe to justify anyone tooling up for actual
>production of anything.
Since I have four Springboard designs under my belt, I feel very qualified on this
matter. In defense of Handspring, I must comment.
There are several reasons why Springboard modules are getting out slowly.
* Doing a hardware design is much more involved than writing a piece of software.
There is extra engineering and in some modules,
firmware to write. You can't just copy Springboard modules off an FTP server and have
an activation code e-mailed to you.
* Not everything to make a specific Springboard module is in stock and off the shelf.
Due to the very small parts needed on such a
small board, there are very long lead times for some parts. This holds up a
production run. FYI, it is my understanding that the LCDs
for the color Palm were ordered in volume with a one year lead time.
* There is currently a worldwide Compact Flash shortage One of the big selling
features of Springboard is the "true plug and play" that
the bus offers by running an app in the CF of the module upon insertion. If you are
designing CF into your Springboard modules, the
lead times are up to six months considering the type of CF you are using. All of the
current runs of CF is going to cell phones, set
top television boxes, automotive and digital cameras. Springboard modules is a sliver
of a share compared to those other volumes.
* The layout of the board is a big challenge -- especially with a CF chip taking 25%
of the board area. Several designs that I have
been involved with and know of had the hardware engineer go back to the drawing board
since the circuit they designed could not fit even
in the FatBoy modules that are available.
* It is still and early adopter market. There are a lot of hardware companies looking
at Springboard like a hawk but are not willing to
be the first couple on the dance floor. Thus, there is a very big opportunity to
those willing to move into this market. Since this is
not govt. contracting, you only get your return on investment after you build and ship.
In retrospect, this is very similar to the market climate when the Mac II was
introduced in 1986. It took over a year before and NuBus
cards started to ship. The same was true with the introduction of the PC-AT bus in
1980. Adam Smith's invisible hand is already coming
into play here. It just takes time so don't wear out your wooden spoon on you high
chair.
My guess is by the end of the year, there will be a ton of Springboard modules out in
all shapes and forms. Handspring's investors may
not like it but the old "longer than you want and more than you expected" rule of
technology is very true when introducing a new CPU
bus.
Steve
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