Axim discontinued

I'm not sure if anyone else has seen heard this so I'm posting an e-mail I just received from my company Dell rep. Safe to say that I'm highly disappointed as I love my Axim.



I would like to inform you that Dell is planning to exit the Axim PDA market. While Dell will continue to offer PDA devices from other manufacturers, the currently shipping Axim X51/ X51v product line will not be replaced by a similar Dell branded product. For our consumer customers, Dell is currently planning to offer Axim until approximately March of 2007. For our relationship customers, Dell is currently planning to offer Axim until approximately June 2007. These dates are approximate and could change slightly as inventory depletes.



The decision to end of life Axim was not made lightly. Among the contributing factors are:

• The overall PDA industry market has steadily decreased for several quarters according to leading industry analysts.

• At the same time that the PDA sales have declined, the converged device market, also known as smartphones, has experienced fast and steady growth.

• When factored together, this indicates a general market shift from PDA devices to converged devices.



Dell will make every effort to manage this transition in a non-disruptive fashion and expects to continue to support the needs of current Axim customers.

• Dell will continue to sell batteries, power adapters and sync cradles and other critical items for the Axim X51/ X51v through 2009.

• Dell will continue to provide technical support and warranty service for Axim accessories per the terms of the original service agreements at the time of purchase, even after the product has been discontinued.

• Dell expects to continue offering operating system updates (patches, bug fixes, etc) for the Windows® Mobile 5 operating system used on the Axim X51/ X51v through mid-2006 as necessary.

• Dell will continue to offer non-critical accessories, such as keyboards, GPS add-ons, retail POS items, etc. for the Axim X51/ X51v through mid 2007.

• Dell is in the process of expanding non-Dell branded PDA device offerings. These will be devices with PDA functionality manufactured by parties other than Dell: You should expect that these devices will be similar but definitely not identical to the Axim X51/ X51v products. As these devices become available, Dell representatives will be able to discuss them in more detail.

• Dell will continue to evaluate the converted device market on an ongoing basis but has no specific plans to enter this category at present.



What does all this mean to our customers?



Due to the lead-times required to purchase components used to manufacture the Axim X51/ X51v, Dell is asking for you to forecast your last time buy quantities no later than October 6th, 2006. Your inputs will be incorporated into the last time production build volumes.

• If possible, please include Axim accessory products as well as Axim itself.

• Your numbers are being used for forecasting purposes. They do not lock you into making an actual purchase, however ideally they should be as realistic as possible to allow for appropriate end of life planning.

• Important: After October 6th, Dell will not be able to increase their forecast to their suppliers. Keep in mind that your forecasts are being used for planning purposes and Dell will make every effort to address your ongoing needs for Axim.

• If you find that you would like to significantly decrease your forecast after October 6th, please notify Dell with those changes as soon as possible. This will allow the Dell teams to proactively allocate inventory to other customers.



I appreciate that this is a significant change. Can you share a last time buy estimate for the Axim X51/ X51v and their accessories at this time?



Dell is working to make this transition as non-disruptive to you and your business as possible. Should you have questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.



I want to remind you that this information is being disclosed under NDA. Dell appreciates your discretion: Please treat this disclosure with appropriate confidentiality.



Q&A:



Q: Is Dell exiting the PDA / handheld business?

A: Dell is transitioning away from the Dell branded PDA product line, aka Axim. At the same time, Dell plans to expand their offerings for PDA devices manufactured by other parties.



Q: Will Dell sell a converged device (such as Palm, Treo, Blackberry, etc.)?

A: Dell has no immediate plans to offer a converged device; however, Dell is committed to continuously evaluating potential new products. We will monitor this market closely and continue to work with customers to understand users’ requirements. Our business model allows us to observe and respond quickly to significant market trends.



Q. Will Dell offer any specific 3rd party alternatives to the pen-based Axim?

A. Third party handheld devices with similar features are already available through our website. The product breadth offering will grow as Dell prepares to exit the Axim brand.



Q: How long will Dell continue to offer the Axim X51/X51v?

A: Currently, Dell plans to offer the Axim X51 family through March 2007 for our consumer customers and through June 2007 for our relationship customers. These dates are approximate and should be used for planning purposes only: There may be slight changes depending on run rates and inventory depletion.



Q: Will Dell make any changes and/or improvements to the Axim X51/X51v platform?

A: Dell plans to offer appropriate Windows® Mobile 5 operating system updates (patches, bug-fixes, etc) as necessary and made available by Microsoft®. Operating system updates may be available as downloads on the Dell support website for existing customers.



Q: Will Dell continue to support the Axim X51/X51v from a technical support and warranty perspective?

A: Yes. Dell will provide technical and warranty support for Axim and Dell-branded Axim peripherals per the terms defined in the service agreement and warranty agreements.



Q: Will Dell continue to sell software and peripherals for the Axim X51/X51v beyond 2006?

A: Dell is planning to offer batteries, power cables, AC adapters and sync cable customer kits for the Axim X51/X51v through 2009. All other Dell branded Axim X51/X51v peripherals are expected to be available through mid of 2007. These dates are driven by Dell’s desire to provide a high degree of service to our customers as well as inventory considerations.



Q: What happens if I need to buy additional units beyond the last time buy numbers that I communicate to you?

A: The last time buy quantities that you provide to Dell will be used for forecasting purposes. The Dell teams will intelligently determine what the last time buy numbers are with our suppliers based on a variety of factors. If you need more units than you have forecasted, please notify your Dell representative as soon as you can so that they are aware of your need.

Keep in mind that Dell is not locking you into the quantity that you forecast for last time buy: we are using your input to provide estimates on the overall last time purchase for our own suppliers.



Q. Dell exited the Dell Ditty MP3 product line earlier this year. Is this an indication that Dell’s business overall is beginning to falter?

A: In order to best meet their customer’s needs and desires, Dell consciously chose to streamline the MP3 player portfolio so as to complement the core business. By tightening the product focus in this area, Dell has the opportunity to deliver greater value and customer experience.


So what will happen to this wonderful website?

[AKAJohnDoe]

OMG! I just realized that Studebakers are no longer made, either!

[mreep]

OMG! I just realized that Studebakers are no longer made, either!

LMAO!! i think he ^ drove the point home...iv know that for like 3 months. there have been many post like this. btw-studibakers rock! i want one!

[psionandy]

You missed the sticky thread and the search button as well!

Yep. This is pretty much old news by now. Thanks for the effort though. :approve:

You missed the sticky thread and the search button as well!

Wow, I'm so glad I came here to share information with the community and got slammed for it. :rolling:

Sorry I'm not on top of every single thing in the Axim world.

God forbid I were to actually as for help with anything!

[AKAJohnDoe]

studibakers rock! i want one!

Enjoy!

Ever seen a real Avanti?

Personally, I would rather have a 1955 Nash Metropolitan. Convertible, of course!

[AKAJohnDoe]

Wow, I'm so glad I came here to share information with the community and got slammed for it. :rolling:

Sorry I'm not on top of every single thing in the Axim world.

God forbid I were to actually as for help with anything!

Sorry. I was rather harsh.



Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible - Frank Zappa

[psionandy]

Wow, I'm so glad I came here to share information with the community and got slammed for it. :rolling:

Sorry I'm not on top of every single thing in the Axim world.

God forbid I were to actually as for help with anything!

You don't have to be on top over everything.. that's what the search button is for... and why the thread was made a sticky..


Just a friendly word.. God forbid anyone actually did slam you for anything.

reminds me of my high school days. my first car was a yellow and white 1955 studebaker president and i dated a girl who drove a 1951 studebaker commander. we thought it was a perfect match. of course, this was 1969, so the car was actually newer than the 1991 audi i drive now. ah, how time changes and not always for the good!

[Pocketbrain]

Well, I didn't see that letter before. Interesting, it has a NDA statement in it. And typos. And shows its date by promising support through "mid-2006." This means no more firmware updates.
I wonder if the typos are uniquely generated for each recipient so they can track NDA breakers? That's how I would do it. A difference file would match up to a database of recipients. But I'm just sneaky.
Thanks, Drewz21. Sorry if the denizens have been crabby lately.


(X)

[flipmark03]

• Dell will continue to provide technical support and warranty service for Axim accessories per the terms of the original service agreements at the time of purchase, even after the product has been discontinued.

does this mean that added/extended warranties are not valid?

[gibsonjunkie]

I switched from a Palm to Dell Axim because I thought Palm would go belly-up - no new OS in two years, little or no information about new products parts of the company bought, sold and sold again...

I assumed Dell wasn't going anywhere and that Windows Mobile 5 was the way to go... now I'm not so sure...

[AKAJohnDoe]

It is looking more and more like Motorola might buy Palm, which might be good for the Treo line, but ambiguous at best for the PDA line.

[AKAJohnDoe]

Interesting, it has a NDA statement in it. ... I wonder if the typos are uniquely generated for each recipient so they can track NDA breakers?

Any information disclosed prior to the exchange of a signed NDA is yours to do with as you please. When you are presented with an NDA it is simply an offer, unless you agree to it in writing there is no binding agreement.