Palm Pre Is Huge Gamble as Other Palms Suffer

Reader Comments
Back to blog

In as much as I've been a Palm guy since the first ever Palm PDA, it's difficult to fantasize how Palm can compete with Apple unless they do the following:
A. Marketing, marketing, marketing...they need celebrities to pitch the Pre and they need a cool jingle...they need something catchy. Although, I did think it was odd that U2's Bono is one of Palm's biggest shareholder (or least the venture capital company Bono is invested in) yet U2's current concert tour is sponsored by BlackBerry. Palm should've taken advantage of this huge promotional opportunity.
B. They need to demonstrate how easy it is to use the Pre. They can't sound techy. Because, people who bought the iPhone don't care what language it was written in.
C. They need to make it cheaper than an iPhone.
D. People love the iPhone and Palm needs to figure out a way to connect to these same people emotionally. Having the best product like Pre does not mean people will buy it without that emotional connection.
I can't wait to buy the Pre after having had a Palm for years and experiencing my wife's iPhone. She also has an Apple computer and no matter how much she struggles with it, she will never admit that anything is better. So, I can't wait to show her what the Pre can do.

opl 9:15AM March 12, 2009

I got a Treo pro upgraded from Treo 650 last year. And i think i will be quite happy with the pro for couple of years. If you cant wait for the Pre, go Pro.
the only complaint is the key pad is a bit tight....and windows mobile hangs a bit. but I installed SPB mobile shell and all is good now.

Robin 4:26AM March 11, 2009

The guy below who said that the Pre is not a business class phone and doesn't have built-in support for Exchange is wrong. The Pre will support Exchange ActiveSync and is certainly a business class phone just as the iPhone is now a business AND consumer-level device.

Barrgg of WA 6:58PM March 10, 2009

Scott of WI took the words right out of my mouth except there will be 2 less customers for sprint

Ron of MD 3:31PM March 10, 2009

I'm not as patient as some, I need a new phone now and while I want the Pre I'm not going to wait for an undetermined amount of time for a phone that is supposed to rival the iPhone. I've been a Sprint customer for 7 years and I've always liked my service, but their phones have become boring and don't compete. If the Pre doesn't find it way into stores by April it'll be one less customer for Sprint and one less sale for Palm.

Scott of WI 12:55PM March 10, 2009

The Pro targets business people with it's built in support for Exchange server. The Pre is not a business class phone but a consumer device.

Joe of MD 11:11AM March 10, 2009

I am a sprint dealer and I personally have seen the halt in palm sales. Its amazing the way people have totally stopped everything waitning for this decive. I love palms personally and cant wait for this one. I was given a blackberry through work and I absolutely HATE it. I cant wait for the PRE. I will be in line and waiting the day they are released. I am of the opinion that the pre will be the next iphone and will revolutionize the handset industry. I cant wait to be a part of the revolution!! I hope it lives up to my expectations alot betther that the dingleberry I have now.

Ryan of MI 12:24PM March 09, 2009

I fell in love with the phone as soon as it was debuted and I wacthed that CES demo. I do think it was extremely silly of Palm to release the Pro after they hyped up the Pre so much. They definitely did themselves a disservice. A lot of people, including myself, are waiting patiently for the Pre. It's completely obvious the phone is not being released until closer to the end of H1, but I think it's worth the wait. I've been a loyal Sprint customer for 9 years. At the time I signed up, Sprint did have the most cutting edge phones, but they have slowly but surely faded into the background. In my 9 years I have only had 1 major issue with them, so to me that says a lot about the company. Back to the Pre though, I hope this will save them...

Nicole of NY 10:59AM March 09, 2009

I'm waiting for an unlocked version, which i hope to use in India. its kicks iphone butt big time. im not big on iphone apps, and the keypad is just what i need with pre. its a good all round featured phone. works well for me - at least the feature set as of now - on paper :)

ashok pai 10:36AM March 09, 2009

I really don't understand any ones logic who can't patiently wait for the release of this device. Big Deal that we have to wait a few more months. If your already thinking of jumping ship so soon and get a iphone, your moving backwards. you waited 2 years to get an iphone, because your throwing a tantrum about them releasing the pre. sit on your hands and wait, let them work the kinks out and make this phone gorgeus...no matter if your getting a pre or not, or your an iphone user or not, the pre is 1 hell of a device.
TYPED ON MY CENTRO: HATERZ

of CA 9:51AM March 09, 2009