According to a December 1999 study by the International Data Corporation, Palm controls 78.4 percent of the worldwide PDA market. Palm has kept up with the Internet's staggering growth. In addition to its product-line of pure organizers, the company began selling the Palm VII which allows users to access the Internet using the company's exclusive wireless service last summer. Though initially introduced in only major cities, the service is now available in more than 260 metropolitan areas around the country. The Britannica contract enables users to access the entire 32-volume encyclopedia collection from anywhere the Palm.
Net service is available.
As Internet portability has become all the rage, Palm has jumped on the bandwagon, promising its customers that the Internet is a top priority. Recently, Palm CEO Carl Yankowski announced that by the end of the year all of his company's hand-held products will be able to connect to the Internet. Approximately eight-million people have a Palm device or other similar gadget, according to the International Data Corporation. In a February study, the IDC said the U.S. market is expected to increase more than eightfold to 61.5 million users by 2003 because people will want to be able to surf the Internet from places other than their desks. He has been a Palm user since the technology's debut in 1996, when he bought the Pilot 5000.