Case Name :      From Hand-helds to Smart Phones – The Pioneers of Palm Inc.

Authors :           Anne K. Hoenen, Phillip C. Nell

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W11355

Discipline :        General Management

Case Length :    12 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

Palm Inc. was the “founder” of an entire industry. In the mid nineties, the firm had developed the first hand-held which could be marketed successfully. They became the uncontested leaders within the young and extremely dynamic industry within short time – both with regard to hardware as well as software. By 2010, however, Palm was not in a good shape. The new product, a top-notch smartphone was not very successful and there were even signs of Palm’s bankruptcy on the horizon. But how could it have come this far? Palm had been the leader in the market of handheld computers with high market share and profitability, and a brand name recognition level many other firms could only dream of. So what had happened to Palm?