iPDA

My PDA experience

It was 2001, only six years ago, and my life was largely defined by my work as a computer programmer for AIM Systems Inc. (now Retail Anywhere Inc.). In order to keep my busy life straight and keep track my quickly growing list of phone numbers, as my friends and family began getting cell phones, I decided to do what is now nearly unthinkable; I purchased a PDA. It was a bulky Palm III with extra memory for all those applications I thought I would be getting. The Palm V was already out and the Handspring that used Palm OS was arguably better but the III had its charm and the price was right.

It seems like it didn't take long for pure PDAs to fall out of fashion in favor of more phone integrated systems and mp3 players. Within a year or two even the simplest of cell phones had a “to-do” list, calendar, alarm, and could store a ton of phone numbers. More advance phones already had mp3 capabilities and soon enough they had phones with PDA operating systems.

Enter the iPod

In a lot of ways the iPod was a step back in PDA technology and a “big” step forward for mp3 player technology (really it didn't do a whole lot different, technology wise, from its contemporaries except it had a nice clean interface, smooth integration with iTunes, sexy marketing, and a ton of storage space). The iPod can store memos, address, phone numbers and all that stuff but it lacks the interface that makes doing these things convenient while away from a computer so in this area it is really a PDA-, which is fine because it is a rock'n mp3 player and that is what it is supposed to do and I am glad Apple decided to get into the mp3 game.

iPhones and the Return of the PDA

Now I don't have an iPhone and those I know that do love theirs so I am going to take it their word for it that they are the best cell phone ever conceived by man. I may even get one of these days but for now I in no way claim to be an expert on the iPhone. As far as I am concerned, it looks cool and from what I've seen is like an phone + PDA on steroids (keep in mind, when I say PDA, I am including iPods in the general PDA family even if they are an offshoot, and the Palm III and Startac used in my illustration are for example only and use largely because that is what I used to have).

The thing I don't get about the iPhone/iPod phenomenon is the new iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is being marketed as this new revolutionary thing, and granted the interface is cool because it is the iPhones, but it is just a really advanced return of the PDA. I would go as far as to call it a pure PDA now that the interface is back to all the address booking, phone number storing, “to-do” lists, and memos as well as the mp3 functionality that makes it an iPod (the only drawback is there is no tactile sensation on the main screen that allows at least some “blind” navigation of the iPod). Basically, iPhone minus phone equals PDA.


My Questions

What I want to know now is why will people buy the iPod Touch? Does it signal a comeback for PDAs now that interfaces have improved enough to make the PDA more userfriendly as well as fun and sexy? Or, will it sell because it is an iPod product and people can't help but want the next cool thing on the block, and iPods, of all kinds, are definitely one of the cool things to have these days.

Given its easy WiFi access, I'm sure it is only a matter of time before someone hacked the iPod Touch so that it can serve as a VOIP device and then we have a whole new can of worms.

Addendum

Here is a good, if not slightly cheerleaderish, review of the iPod Touch.