ASSIGNMENT 9

UNIT 1

            After watching the outstanding presentation showing part of the history when developing the Palm Pilot as narrated by Jeff Hawkins, some interesting questions have been raised. But first, a little background about the product.

            The Palm Pilot started life as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that, at the time, fill the role vacated by the secretaries of yesteryear. At the time, there were no technological developments that would have made possible the smart phone as we know it today.

            So to answer the question about the viability of a product such as this in this day and age, we must, sadly, conclude that the Palm Pilot has been left behind in the dustbin of history. It simply cannot compete with the products out there. Which is not to say that the company itself cannot come back and field a product so awesome, that will leave the likes of the iPad and the tablets from the different manufacturers found wanting.

            But in order to compete nowadays, the company would have to come up with a product that addresses a need in the consumer of electronic devices world that it is not being filled right now. It will have to have the will and the resources to co-opt the social media as a means to advertise this hypothetical awesome product as well as the wherewithal to address the very heavy questioning that will be presented by “journalists” and bloggers with axes to grind. And what, would be this awesome product? Let us brainstorm… How about a product that has the size of a Samsung galaxy 4, that has all the bells and whistles (calendar, phone, appointment keeper, contact database, Navigational aid, Apps galore) but with a twist; in this case it could be a hologram face or figure that will interact with the buyer of this product, that will also provide companionship for the social graces-impaired and can be imbued with different “personalities”, It could be modeled after a person (alive or dead) or an animal or any kind of avatar that the owner desires.

            Now that is something to fill a niche!