Palm Pre Hatchet Job | Hacker News Reader

Palm Pre Hatchet Job

blogs.barrons.com

6 pointslallysingh6 comments

I think that there are some fair things that one can argue against the Pre:

* It doesn't have applications like the iPhone.

* It has a smaller screen while being a larger device.

* The screen is plastic rather than glass.

* It's carrier is Sprint which is deemed unpopular by consumers (personally, I use Sprint and am happy, but my experience doesn't change public opinion).

* It's closed source (against an open-source Android).

* It (currently) only has HTML/JS as a development environment.

I'm going to be getting a Pre when it comes out since it's the best I can get on Sprint, but it faces a tough battle. If they don't sell well, I know I won't be getting an application ecosystem like the iPhone has. Android might become the iPhone opposition rather than webOS given it's open-source status and availability from several manufacturers.

And Palm is having their grand opening so to speak 2 days before Apple's WWDC. For all we know, Apple could decide that the $200 iPhone will be 16GB with a 32GB model selling for $300. That would be devastating for Palm. They could lower the Pre's price to compete, but Apple could easily upstage Palm with such a simple announcement.

To be honest, I'm a little sad since this is going to be my device and it practically looks like an also-ran before it's even released. Then again, Apple might have nothing new at WWDC (other than the 3.0 OS) and Google might be exaggerating the interest in their Android OS (which they've claimed will be on around 2 dozen devices by year end).

If Apple doesn't change storage capacities or improve hardware dramatically and Android doesn't become the "second platform" after the iPhone and Palm gets the Pre (or other webOS device) on other carriers in 3-6 months, Palm has a good chance to be a big hit.

I think the Pre is more a BB competitor. And in that space I think there's plenty of opportunity for Palm to find success.

But it has an unmistakable 'corporate' angle that makes it unlikely to attract the crowd that the iPhone's been selling to.

It's funny because Palm has actually been saying that corporate customers shouldn't be buying the Pre - that they should be getting one of the Treo models instead.

I don't think the Pre is really an enterprise device. It just isn't boring enough ;-). Really, it's that it has untested support for things like Exchange (other than Palm's internal testing). I'm sure businesses will support it just as they've started to support the iPhone, but even Palm is saying that enterprise customers should go with a different device (at least for now).

What makes you think it has a corporate angle? Specific features? The way it's being marketed? The real keyboard? I'm curious since it's not how I see the device, but when I see the device I think about what I'd do with it as a consumer. It would be really cool if Palm carved out a chunk of that market.

> getting a Pre when it comes out since it's the best I can get on Sprint

You should be able to get an Android on Sprint soon enough...

http://phandroid.com/2008/12/19/samsung-android-sprint-tmobi...

Palm too easy to develop for is a minus? Could this mean we will see even more fart applications for the palm than the ones currently on the iPhone?

Why does Palm not want to sell this to "IT Centric" customers? Isn't the point of the Pre to connect people to multiple data sources including exchange?

Seems like a good IT device if you ask me...

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