There have been rumors circulating for a while that Dell will no longer sell Pocket PCs. This rumor has been purported and denounced over and over on the net.
An inside source has informed me that it is indeed true.
The Axim series is one of the top selling, if not THE top selling, Pocket PCs of all time. Dell has consistently sold the highest hardware specification PDAs for the lowest price point for years with the Axim line. Why would Dell discontinue a line that is so obviously popular and relatively cheap? High Tech Computing, the manufacturer of the Axim,
reported a 71% increase in revenue from 4.2 billion to 7.2 billion in the last year. The Axim is a very profitable device.
A large majority of problems on newer Axims stem from Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5 OS, which has had
mixed reviews. Most problems are solved through a hardware return, although they could be fixed in the software with the right help. I would presume that 75% of returns could be avoided. Dell has taken a big hit by using outsourced cheap support. Competent resolution of software issues would save Dell millions.
WM 5 is still in its infancy and has a
second edition slated for Jan. 2007. In my opinion, Dell is severely misstepping in its premature abandonment of its PDA line. Dell should not be basing the future of the Axim line on the present response to the newest OS available, even if the present response is slightly negative. Let the OS mature, let the Axim line mature with it.
Please disagree if you can, comments here are highly encouraged.
Should Dell get out of the PDA market?
Vote above.
