It has been repeatedly noted that there are numerous similarities between these two ground breaking products. This detailed review is intended to show that there is more to this apparent resemblance than what meets the eye. Indeed, the likeness is so striking, it will surely make you wonder if the connection is more than coincidental.

Every modern history book will inform you that when the original Macintosh came into this world in January of 1984, it was bound to set the computing world on fire. A dozen years later, in April of 1996 to be exact, the first Pilot saw the light of day only to repeat the triumph of the Mac.

Aside from these two devices, there was hardly ever a piece of hardware that has been so widely admired... yet could be so easily dismissed as a "toy." Nevertheless, in spite of all the naysayers, both the Mac and the Palm (as it is called nowadays) enjoy substantial commercial success and, remarkably, unprecedented fanatical following. While other products come and go, it seems that this captivating duo is here to stay.

But first things first. Let’s take a closer look at the actual physical construction of each one of these marvels of technology in their original form. On the surface, both featured all-in-one designs with build-in gray scale screens. The only external devices were those responsible for data input. Both started their life with 128k of RAM and neither one offered internal expandability beyond a memory upgrade. What’s even more bizarre, the heart of each product was a Motorola-build 68000-series CPU. Are we having fun yet?

Moving along to take a look at the common traits in the interfaces, one discovers a twosome of innovative and surprisingly intuitive point-and-click (or point-and-tap) designs that give easy access to a basic set of included productivity applications. Apple has popularized the mouse, while Pilot’s claim to fame was the "Graffiti" input method.

Spend ten minutes using either one and chances are that you will fall in love. But, if you don’t, you will walk away and tell your friends that you have no idea what’s the big deal about something that is so expensive yet offers only limited functionality. The more technologically advanced you are to start with, the more likely you will be to resent a product that gives you so little access to the internal workings of the system. It is not hard to see how the seeds of the "platform wars" are being planted so easily...

In any event, the screen layout itself is almost identical. There are cute pictures all over the place and pull-down menus at the top. The applications are activated one at a time by clicking on their respective icons. All the preferences are set in a single place. Everything is well laid out and consistent. Yet, there is a feeling that something is missing. It is the complexity that we have come to expect from all the advanced technology that surrounds us. We are bound to wonder how can a product that is considered "cutting edge" not have a command line, abundant upgrade slots or dozens of ports, cables and connectors. This has just gotta be a joke!

It is particularly startling to realize that both devices were developed in a country that has a nearly pathological obsession with immensely large cars and enormous big screen TVs. In a land of the "land yachts," it is almost unthinkable that anybody would come up with a cute little gizmo that would not attempt to take over the entire room. Such feat takes a visionary. Or two.

The original world famous partnership of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak brought us the Apple II back in 1976. A lesser-known duo composed of Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky founded Palm Computing whose first PDA debuted in 1992 under the name Zoomer. Both devices left their mark in history but their follow-ups were the insanely great products that happen to be the focus of this review. Thus, not only did each undertaking take two people, it also required a second try.

Let’s now focus on the developments that took place after the originals have gone through their useful life span. Naturally, each one has been enhanced through numerous upgrades of the operating system as well as hardware. In particular, the Palm V can be likened to the first PowerBook in its diminutive form-factor, beautiful exterior design, and the use of rechargeable batteries. The new Palm VII is about to become the first PDA that can be effortlessly networked using a wireless modem. The historical analog to this technology is AppleTalk, a revolutionary networking setup with an ease-of-use that is arguably unsurpassed to this very day.

Looking into the future, one must wonder if 3Com is about to embark upon a prolonged adventure into the "dark ages," shall it follow directly in the footsteps of Apple. I surely hope not. However, if this period of soul-searching is necessary to come up with a handheld that could become the Palm’s counterpart of the iMac, then it might not be such a bad idea.

Finally, it is not hard to recall which company was the main obstacle on Apple’s path to world supremacy. Now, who is considered Palm’s greatest foe? I hope the answer is self-explanatory. Will Palm survive the offensive of the mighty alliance of a half dozen CE box makers? Yes, I have great confidence in it. And, if it is ever in trouble, I count on Dubinsky coming back on board at 3Com, just like Jobs did when Apple’s future didn’t look that bright anymore.

So, here you have it all in place. The Mac and the Pilot were conceived in a similar fashion. They share numerous design cues. Their development paths were exceptionally alike. Their future looks promising. But, most importantly, they have pioneered numerous concepts that have been embraced by the masses and subsequently copied by you know who.

Isn’t it time somebody came up with a sequel? No, wait, it hasn’t been twelve years since 1996. I guess, we will have to check back in 2008. Oh, well...

They say that patience is a virtue.