Creemer likens the migration to ARM chip architecture to the decision by Apple Computer (Quote, Company Info, News) to switch from a 68K chip architecture to its PowerPC line.

Palm said it will introduce a new mechanism for native trap patching in the next big OS update sometime next year.

One application that is sure to work is Palm's new Web browser, which the company released to Palm OS licensees earlier this week.

But with the first wave of some 15,000 Palm compatible applications debuting by the end of this year, making the bridge between previous versions and OS 5 may keep some developers at arm's length.

Even Palm's hardware division is sending a mixed message. The company confirmed Friday that it will release three new consumer models in October, of which none will include OS 5. One is based on the ARM chip configuration with Bluetooth (define) added in. Another will use always-on wireless GPRS (define), according to published reports. The PDAs are expected to retail starting at $100.