IBM WorkPad
Line of Palm OS devices
IBM WorkPad was a line of portable devices, produced by Palm Inc. and branded by IBM. This line contained personal digital assistants (PDAs) and one subnotebook model (WorkPad Z50).
Overview
This line was released in 1997 and discontinued in 2002. After discontinuation of its self-branded line, IBM still offers the main Palm line on its site.
This IBM-branded line of PDAs were rebranded PalmPilots, with only a few software improvements (easy sync for Lotus Notes, DB2 EveryPlace, and IBM Mobile Connect).
Reception
Early WorkPad PDAs were received positively, similar to parallel Palm models; but later this conservative business-oriented line lacked notability, and multimedia options of latest models were described as relatively poor.
Models
WorkPad Z50 - 1999, subnotebook/thin client, powered by Windows CE, equipped with an NEC MIPS processor and with an 8.2" screen.
PDAs
All WorkPad PDAs have a similar gray-scale screen (with better resolution and contrast for C series, but with same physical size and similar layout); only the c505 model has a color screen. The WorkPad 30X can be upgraded to a Japanese version, using the Open Extension slot.
WorkPad - 1997, rebadged PalmPilot
WorkPad 20X - 1998, rebadged Palm III
WorkPad 30X - 1999, rebadged Palm IIIx
WorkPad 30J - 1999, Japanese version of 30X
WorkPad 31J - 2000, same as 30J, but with PHS broadband module.
The public source identifies “IBM WorkPad” as line of Palm OS devices. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around WorkPad, Line and Palm.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q107561122. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1997, 2002, 1999 and 1998.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “IBM WorkPad” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.