Why Sony PDAs Failed in US, but Not Japan

Sony’s design flaws, and ultimate failure, also came from a misunderstanding of its target audience, as well as poor design. But size wasn’t the problem, rather it was usability by the American consumer. (An interesting and almost-compelling analysis of differences between US and Japanese consumers that goes beyond the odious “American thumbs are too big” argument; well worth a read as this issue directly applies to 3G cell phones. — Ed.)

Sony recently announced that it will exit the PDA marketplace in the United States. Analysts and tech writers who don’t look any further simply see a BIG electronics player leaving, and immediately start predicting the death of the Palm OS platform and PDAs, in favor of smartphones.
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