You’ve probably already heard about the new Foleo “mobile companion” from Palm, which was finally announced last week. You might also have already noticed the somewhat unenthusiastic reception the device and concept have found from journalists and bloggers alike.
Personally, I think the Foleo is an interesting concept that might just find or create itself a market. I think there are folks who might prefer toting a two pound “mobile companion” to do their browsing, emailing, and simple document editing, rather than a full-featured five pound MacBook. Will it decimate the notebook computer market? No, and I don’t think it’s meant to.
Which brings me to that unenthusiastic reception. I’m not sure that your average geek is really within the Palm Foleo market. Is the Foleo geared towards me? Not generally. But, my friend, who carries her four pound Dell notebook begrudgingly on business trips, might find it more than adequate for her on-the-go, basic eBay, Word, and email needs.
But, I digress. The thing that has struck me most about the general reception of the Foleo, especially by Palm aficionados, is how similar it is to the general thud the iPod was originally greeted with by Mac folks. Way back in 2001, CNET noted that the iPod had “mixed reactions” and that initial demand looked “iffy.”
Will the Foleo be the next iPod? I’m not sure it has quite that much sexiness, or that it needs it. But could a Palm Treo and Palm Foleo fit somewhere in between the Apple iPhone and a MacBook Pro (with a Sprint EVDO card)? I think it just might.
on Jun 5th, 2007 at 05:28
It looks cute. When is it going on sale?
on Jun 3rd, 2008 at 19:41
[...] year ago, I wrote about Foleo, a new device from Palm which had, at that time, just been announced. The Foleo was introduced as a [...]