Simplify, simplify, simplify

It can't be easy for wireless device vendors who are trying to decide how to build a lineup of products. This week, we see two vendors taking similar tracks as they look for wireless success. At Palm, a highly-touted product was dropped before it shipped when the Foleo didn't make it to market. The "digital companion" had been a question mark for many analysts and potential customers since its announcement, and it's a shame that the market won't get to see how many problems it might have solved, but it's difficult to argue with Palm's point of concentrating on a single operating system and platform as they go forward.

Meanwhile, Motorola is simplifying things in a different way, moving away from a strategy of occasional "home runs" to (what they hope will be) a long run of singles and doubles. More products might not sound very simple, but a lineup built on filling multiple niches well can be far simpler that one that looks to create intermittent monster hits that do everything for everyone.

Both of these announcements speak to vendors acknowledging a market in which most customers know what they want--the simplest, most affordable platform delivering their preferred mix of functions. It's a great place for the market to be and will allow more and more companies to simplify their strategy while serving the needs of the customer. -Curtis