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Palm have announced that they will be dropping Palm Desktop and HotSync Manager support and development for Mac OS once Palm OS 6 "Cobalt" is released.

Whilst Mac market share overall is quite low, the percentage of Palm users who sync to a Mac is quite high.

MarkSpace, makers of the Missing Sync for Sony Clie's, Windows Powered PocketPC's and Danger's HipTop, have said they'll be stepping in to provide a fully functional replacement.

So is Palm's decision a good or bad one?

Initially, I think it appears bad for the Mac. First Internet Explorer, now Palm Desktop disappearing. But then I started to think about it...

Some may argue that the days of the PDA are numbered with the advent of Symbian and the likes of the P900.

Others will say that two devices are better than one compromised device and that PDA's will continue to have a role.

Analysts will say Apple is dying

After a short while, and as a Palm V user of yesteryear, I've decided I'm not greatly upset. I think this will spur Apple on to improve iSync (possibly to replace HotSync Manager, rather than use a Conduit), iCal and Address Book thus creating an open and extensible data sync framework for Mac OS X. This can only be a good thing with more Linux based devices (such as the Sharp Zaurus PDA range, Motorola A768) set to ship this year.

I'm looking forward to seeing what MarkSpace can provide. The way they've integrated PocketPC's into iTunes and iPhoto on the Mac is excellent. I just hope Palm sees sense and bundles the MarkSpace product with the handheld.

Any views?
Alex