“CIOs don’t get fired for using Microsoft products”

Treo 650 owners like myself will at least sympathise with this: It’s obvious that Palm 5 is the “swan song” for this once mighty and ubiquitous handheld operating system. I confidently predict that there will never be another Palm OS 5 based smartphone from Palm, nor will any manufacturer including Palm build any hardware based on Palm 6 Operating System. The Palm OS ride is over, wasn’t it fun?

According to this CNET article, Palm (the company that invented the eponymous Palm Pilot personal organiser) is mulling over a switch to Windows as it’s primary handheld operating system. Justifying a switch to Microsoft’s platform, Palm’s CFO stated “CIOs don’t get fired for using Microsoft products”.

I remember about fifteen years ago people used to say exactly the same thing about buying IBM. Whenever you see technology companies justifying technical decisions on the basis of what is least likely to get an individual fired it’s a sure sign of impending doom.

Surely a technology company like Palm should be making it’s tech decisions based on what is likely to deliver the best value for customers, and therefore drive the greatest sales. If this requires Palm becoming yet another ‘Me Too’ Windows based handheld builder then so be it. I suspect that Palm can do better than this. Remember, Palm once made their name from selling technology products that were radical and unique at the time they were invented. The leaders are now followers.

On the other hand, what about Microsoft? They were once the company that displaced that lumbering giant IBM. They brilliantly took advantage of the market’s disaffection for it’s leader. IBM (for all their apparent benevolence) were the company who invented FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) as a negative marketing policy and are responsible for the monopolistic bankruptcy of many more rivals than Microsoft. IBM’s reputation for arrogance and screwing customers still is legendary.

Microsoft have reached the point that IBM did fifteen years ago. It’s the point when everybody believes that the leader is invincible that normally signals the beginning of the end. Perhaps CIOs don’t get fired for choosing Microsoft, but they don’t get promoted either.