Handspring offers rebate on latest model
Handspring offers rebate on latest model
By David Becker
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 6, 2001, 9:00 p.m. PT
In another sign that the PC price war is filtering down to handheld computers,
Handspring on Thursday will announce a new rebate program on its latest model.
Consumers will receive a $100 rebate on the $399 Visor Edge, the sleek, high-powered model
Handspring introduced in March, as long as they trade in a personal digital assistant (PDA)
from Handspring or any of its competitors, said Handspring spokesman Brian Jacquet.
The move follows a series of recent price-cutting moves by competitor Palm, which has been
plagued by excess inventory. The PDA leader trimmed the price of its wireless Palm VIIx
model by a third last month and offered steep discounts to its huge developer community.
Retailers have also taken matters into their own hands, cutting prices on the latest Palm
models.
Handspring has been more
reserved with price cutting,
offering small discounts and
rebates and some freebies to
keep pace with Palm.
Jaquet said the new rebate is
aimed at getting customers
with older Visor and other
PDA models to trade up, but
he also acknowledged the
Palm factor. "Obviously we're
not immune to competitive
pressure," he said.
The trade-in offer covers all
Palm OS, Windows CE,
Pocket PC and Psion PDAs,
along with models from
Sharp, Casio and others.
Even Apple's relatively ancient Newton qualifies. "We're not being too picky," Jaquet said.
Handspring is believed to have been less affected by the tech slowdown, partly because it
didn't lock itself into the component contracts that helped swell Palm's inventory. In its most
recent quarter, Handspring CEO Donna Dubinsky said the company would take appropriate
steps to deal with "soft" sales demand, including cutting back on hiring and other cost-cutting
measures.
