Timothy Li EAS545 Palm Computing Essay Hawkins was entering a relatively new high-tech market surrounded by several

1/29/13

competitors offering very similar products. In order to gain a prominent share of this new market, Hawkins needed to focus on the position of his product, as well as catering to the early adopters of the technology to help focus his development. Palm started with a good product concept. Its palm-sized pen-based personal computer was leveraging a technology that no competitor had (and had all of the IP clout to back it), but Hawkins remained focused on the whole product, not just the technology he developed that would enable it. However Palm needed to maximize its competitive advantage by taking a critical look at their target market needs, and how they were going to differentiate their product from the many other competitors aiming for the same market. Through a combination of primary and secondary research, Palm needed to understand what were the critical features (must haves) that their target segment wanted. Hawkins already had a basic hypothesis, citing that he planned to deliver an address directory, personal calendar, a dictionary and a thesaurus, but in order to get his product out in a timely matter, he needed to really understand if customers really wanted any or all of those features. He needed to come up with a minimum viable product instead of focusing on extraneous features that wouldnt help sell the product. Hawkins would need to train their researchers to be adept at piecing together the hidden meaning behind survey and focus group respondent statements. A key factor to aid them with their product differentiation would be to understand their target segments latent needs (delighters) to be able to create a product that can excite them. Coupling must-have and latent needs would help build their product and brand awareness. Palm and Hawkins would also benefit from an understanding of the other stakeholders in the personal and handheld computing arena to identify and remove any barriers to entry. Any channel constraints would have to be balanced with the needs of the consumer to create a product that would still sell.

Timothy Li EAS545 Palm Computing Essay

1/29/13

Palm needed to focus on its early adopters to help them build a credible name. Part of the challenge in the introduction stage is to garner early adopters. That process requires an enormous effort and skilled sales representatives that need not only to be able to sell consumers on the benefits of the brand, but also be able to sell them on benefit of the entire industry as a whole. Since the palm-sized computing market was still developing, initial market demand would surely be low. Once Palm could identify early adopters, they needed to vigorously apply their customer needs hypotheses to the test, and tap into the industry knowledge this class of consumers have. With the aid of loyal early adopters, Palm could take feedback and modify their sales and customer service tactics, as well as their product offering to better serve a less risktaking early majority and late majority market. Lastly, Hawkins needed to really take to heart the lessons from competitors in the market, especially from failed companies like Momenta Corporation. Taking a fiscally conservative approach to the entire new product launch, would allow Hawkins to keep adequate cash flow for future developments. They key to Hawkins success would be in his ability to meet the needs of their stakeholders and deliver a product that can be profitable while differentiating their product offering compared to the rest of the competition. Because of the competitive uncertainty, Hawkins would need to be able to adapt to changing needs and ever evolving market environments.