Indeed Microsoft has had a rough time trying to conquer the market for hand- held computers. The company's first two attempts to sell a hand-held software system to the public in the late 1990s flopped, with critics saying Microsoft had simply shrunk down its ubiquitous Windows operating system and jammed it into small gadgets. The relationship between Microsoft and Palm has long been fractious. Earlier this year, Microsoft faced charges of false advertising from the Federal Trade Commission for one of its Pocket PC advertising campaigns that targeted Palm. Microsoft's resolve to crack the hand-held market has brought results.
Price is one factor.
Pocket PC 2002, which has been in development since April 2000, features several new elements designed particularly for corporate clients. Consumers will be able to more easily customize the screen of the Pocket PC 2002, just as they can add different screen savers to their computer. We had the corporate user in mind when we designed the product, and now we're chipping away at the Palm operating system. But some analysts say the new Pocket PC 2002 features are simply incremental rather than revolutionary. It's not a whole lot different than before.