Piloting Palm: The Inside Story of Palm, Handspring, and the Birth of the Billion-Dollar Handheld Industry - Hardcover

Butter, Andrea; Pogue, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471089656 ISBN 13: 9780471089650

Publisher: Wiley, 2002

Synopsis

The definitive behind-the-scenes story of the visionary team that launched the handheld industry.

Palm insider Andrea Butter and New York Times columnist David Pogue -- with full, exclusive cooperation of the company's founders and more than fifty key Palm and Handspring executives -- tell the riveting tale of the start of an industry constantly in the headlines. The origins of this volatile industry began with the tiny team who beat staggering odds to turn the PalmPilot into a billion-dollar market and later took their ultimate vision to Handspring, now Palm's most powerful rival.

Many of today's current events relating to the competition in this industry are forecasted in this important business drama. The authors take an unprecedented look at how the visionary founders of the industry led one of the most successful startups in history to succeed against all odds-including a shoestring budget, shortsighted corporate partners, and competition from Microsoft. The roller-coaster ride is full of insight into the bungles of venture capitalists, the allure and pitfalls of partnerships with giant corporations, and the steely determination needed to maintain entrepreneurial and visionary independence. With gripping accounts of the last-minute crises that almost torpedoed the PalmPilot on the eve of its unveiling, and the triumphant, unprecedented reception of Palm in the marketplace, as well as the glimpses into the future of this industry, this book is as entertaining as it is instructional. Key revelations include:

* The principles of business, economy, and product design that led Palm to succeed where billion-dollar corporations like Apple, Motorola, and Casio had failed.
* Important moments in technological development of the handheld such as the secret "Easter egg," a software surprise planted in the Palm software that nearly sank launch plans.
* Unique insight into the showdown with Microsoft, and 3Com's tragic decision not to make Palm independent that led Palm's founder Jeff Hanwkins and CEO Donna Dubinsky to take their vision elsewhere.
* The ongoing competition between Palm and Handspring. The new rivals to contend with including Sony.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"The Palm is so ubiquitous, it's easy to forget what life was like BP (before Palm). If you want the inside Vscoop on the product that changed your life--and how it got here--this is the place to start." --Seth Godin, Author Survival is Not Enough

"Even though I've been a user of every version of the Palm and am waiting breathlessly for the Handspring Treo Communicator, I never knew how Jeff Hawkins came up with the original design of the Palm Pilot. Now I do. Piloting Palm is informative, well written and a good read!" --Stewart Alsop, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates, Fortune Magazine columnist

From the Inside Flap:

piloting palm

"This really is the inside story of a groundbreaking project. The Palm device and its offspring have millions of adherents, and all would enjoy this impeccably told-- and sometimes harrowing-- origintale."
--Steven Levy, author, Hacker
Chief Technology Writer, Newsweek

The most stunningly successful new product launch of the information age . . . the creation of a billion-dollar industry virtually overnight . . . an intense, behind-the-scenes struggle for control of a powerful young company . . . these are just a few highlights from the incredible story of Palm Computing, its visionary founders, their creation of the rival Handspring, and a volatile new industry whose future is still up for grabs.

In Piloting Palm, Palm Computing insider Andrea Butter and New York Times columnist David Pogue reveal how the company's visionary founder Jeff Hawkins and former CEO Donna Dubinsky created the most successful start-up in computing history and revolutionized the way the world does business.

Piloting Palm re-creates the company's product development phase, its desperate attempts to raise capital, and the dizzying final weeks before the PalmPilot launch. The only book written with the full cooperation of Hawkins, Dubinsky, and scores of Palm and Handspring executives, it also reveals the strategies behind the PalmPilot's success in the marketplace and relives Palm's intense battles with Microsoft.

The authors recount how, after winning big in the marketplace, Hawkins and Dubinsky lost the battle of the boardroom, failing in their attempts to resist assimilation by corporate behemoth 3Com. They examine their painful decision to leave Palm and unveil the secrets behind the success of their new venture, Handspring, which quickly lapped up a good portion of the handheld market. The authors go behind the scenes to reveal how tactical mistakes, a softening economy, and the threat from Microsoft pit Palm and Handspring against each other in a fight for their very survival.

This unforgettable true story combines the inspirational power of the ultimate business success story with the twists and turns of a classic drama. From behind-the-scenes glimpses of corporate powerbrokers in action to compelling portraits of the idealistic people behind the most successful start-up in computing history, Piloting Palm tells an authentic tale of vision, venture capital, and the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0471089656
• ISBN 13: 9780471089650
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 376