But a funny thing happened on the way to the marketplace: something called Windows CE. Microsoft's PalmPilot wannabe devices are generally the same shape and size as the PalmPilot, although that's like saying that the Hope Diamond is about the same size as the hunk of moldy Cheddar in my refrigerator right now. Windows CE palmtops don't offer nearly as many available programs, aren't nearly as fast as the Palm OS, and chomp through batteries in a matter of hours, not months. (No wonder the critics of these machines abbreviate "Windows CE" to "Wince.")

Nonetheless, whenever Microsoft enters the market, its competitors are wise to sit up and pay attention. In Palm Computing's case, this attention-paying appears to have given birth to a startling realization: there's one group of enthusiastic computer users who are guaranteed never to buy Windows CE devices. That's right: Macintosh fans. Windows CE devices can connect to Windows computers, but not to Macintosh machines. And therein lies a competitive advantage for Palm Computing.

Palm acquires Claris Organizer
Perhaps in recognition that it had a potentially captive audience on its hands, Palm Computing did something rather remarkable: it decided to pump substantial dollars into bringing the Macintosh side of the PalmPilot experience up to par. Instead of trying to repair the hopelessly crude Pilot Desktop program, 3Com instead bought what had been one of the leading Macintosh Rolodex/calendar programs. Claris Organizer (which was in Apple's custody, having been orphaned by the dismemberment of Claris Corporation) was now a Palm Computing property.

The good news is that the upgrade to this new Macintosh Palm desktop software will be free to registered Mac users. Unfortunately, the release date of the finished software has now been pushed back to December. As enthusiastic as Palm may be to win back the Macintosh crowd, the Macintosh programming staff in the company isn't enormous.

Nonetheless, a look at the existing Claris Organizer product makes us realize just how much we have to look forward to. The program does things so elegantly that it's Windows users who, for the first time, will be looking over the fence with envy. For example, Organizer automatically formats your phone numbers with parentheses and hyphens. If you type "Albe" in the City field, the software proposes "querque" as the rest of the word automatically. Organizer also lets you choose from a number of different looks, or themes, to suit your every mood. It can even automatically synchronize with your PowerBook laptop in addition to your PalmPilot. It's a fine piece of Macintosh software, created by programmers who clearly love the Mac.