Will Apple Kill Palm’s Hype “Pre”maturely?

7 Jun 2009

Pun intended.

So Palm had it’s big day yesterday (June 6th) with their release of the Palm Pre and early reports are that they had a good day in terms of sales. Most stores were sold out by noon and others followed later in the day. Early reviews of the Palm Pre are generally positive and the community is rallying behind Palm in a big way.

We’ve also had some controversy surrounding the Pre already! First, we found out that the Palm Pre is recognized as an iPod in iTunes for synchronization. A lot of us don’t think Apple will like this, especially since a lot of former Apple engineers worked on this phone. Some high profile technology experts have gotten into it surrounding ethics and integrity surrounding receiving review units. Right or wrong, Palm gets free press out of all of this.

Press is good, until you’re faced with an Apple keynote. Even though it’s a Steve Job-less keynote (maybe), tomorrow’s kickoff of Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) is expected to bring a lot of fresh technology news. Now if Apple didn’t have a particular phone in their lineup, I think Palm wouldn’t have to worry about the possible buzz kill surrounding the Pre. But alas, we have a confirmed release of iPhone 3.0 software (either tomorrow or later this month) and a ton of rumors surrounding new iPhone hardware.

Photo courtesy of Gear Live

On top of all the coolness that’s coming from the iPhone’s software revision, we’re hearing rumors about the new iPhone hardware that include:

Video recording capability
Front and rear camera
Larger Capacity (32GB)

You gotta love the rumor mill before these Apple events. They almost have the ability to kill Palm’s hype on their own. Palm has their hands full. Apple still has the mind share on the “cool” smartphone market, but I believe Palm has what it takes to steal some of it. A new Apple phone 2 days after your release could be insurmountable.

Will tomorrow’s announcements squash Palm’s buzz? We will have to wait and see. I can’t wait.

Join our discussions on the iPhone on FriendFeed.

Post written by Bwana

Tags: buzz, controversy, hype, iphone, iTunes, palm pre, rumors, wwdc

http://friendfeed.com/nation1986 Nation Hahn

My one complaint with the power of the pre is the battery. I may have to buy a second one to keep around. Then again the Bold I used to have wasnt nearly as powerful and was dead by 4 or 5 with moderate-to-heavy use.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/misteriq Mister IQ

That shows one obvious benefit to the Pre, a removable battery which the iPhone lacks.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/bwana Bwana

A bit off topic: After seeing the Pre in action, I gotta wonder if it’s faster to: 1. Quit an iPhone App and launch another 2. Switch apps on the Palm Pre. That interface is super sluggish.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/kshep Ken Sheppardson

Have you had a chance to use one yet, Bwana, or are going off what you’ve seen on video? (Not intended as any sort of slam, just a straight-up Q)
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/mirthnadir Amani

If you have an older iphone like the 2G one will u have video capabilities now or must u turn in your old phones to get this feature?
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/dffrnt vijay

yes, Pre does take a little while when launching apps. http://friendfeed.com/palm-pre/448918c8/palm-pre-twitter-app-tweed-and-spaz-video-review For most users however, the regular array of apps is mostly the same, browser, chat, weather, twitter, music so it’s still a better experience than the current iPhones most of the time.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/dffrnt vijay

yes, Pre does take a little while when launching apps. http://friendfeed.com/palm-pre/448918c8/palm-pre-twitter-app-tweed-and-spaz-video-review For most users however, the regular array of apps is mostly the same, browser, chat, weather, twitter, music so once they are launched, the experience is snappy. So it "is" a better experience than the current iPhones *most* of the time.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/bwana Bwana

kshep – it’s based on Leo’s demo from the unboxing. I plan to look at it more….
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/nation1986 Nation Hahn

I have found switching between App’s to be sluggish sometimes but other times it has been quick.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://twitter.com/smartgadget smartgadget

Will Apple Kill Palm’s Hype Prematurely? | Bwana.org: Palm has their hands full. Apple still has the mind .. http://tinyurl.com/rxh9jk
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
http://twitter.com/smartgadget smartgadget

Will Apple Kill Palm’s Hype “Pre”maturely? | Bwana.org: Palm has their hands full. Apple still has the mind .. http://tinyurl.com/rxh9jk
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
http://twitter.com/smartgadget smartgadget

Will Apple Kill Palm’s Hype Prematurely? | Bwana.org: Palm has their hands full. Apple still has the mind .. http://tinyurl.com/rxh9jk
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
http://twitter.com/smartgadget smartgadget

Will Apple Kill Palm’s Hype “Pre”maturely? | Bwana.org: Palm has their hands full. Apple still has the mind .. http://tinyurl.com/rxh9jk
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
http://friendfeed.com/bwana Bwana

John Gruber has posted his WWDC predictions http://daringfireball.net/2009/06/wwdc_2009_predictions
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/ronwening Ron Wening

I havent done any time tests or anything but from my own personal experience I’d have to disagree with the launching of the apps being sluggish on the Pre. I found that it was really snappy and quick to switch between apps.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/bwana Bwana

Ron – I’m just going by online demos, I’ve yet to use one myself. Interesting you’ve stated it’s snappy.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/ronwening Ron Wening

I must also confess that this is my first "smart phone" but so far, switching between some of the main apps has been quick. It’s the same type of feeling you get when you reformat your hard drive with a fresh install of Windows ME…minus the Windows ME.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/kenge kenneth glenn

I have not used the Pre, haven’t seen one in person yet. But gauging from the local news and national news from the big 3 it has received a lot of coverage. Will it be squashed by the iPhone? Maybe. But as Andy Ihnatko has been saying on Mac Break Weekly, a lot, the local news will cover the new iPhone and will have a quick snippet in the end or beginning about the Pre. And in the market we are in right now, people might want to pull for the little upstart down on its luck Palm (David) instead of the Goliath in Apple.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/mkabir Moushumi Kabir

As a Pre user, I can definitely say its interface isn’t sluggish in any way. Pre’s multi-apps capabilities is very smooth and fast. The OS? As good as iPhone’s if not better, having used both. Pre’s short battery life and limited apps (that will no doubt change) are downsides for me. Regardless whatever version of iPhone is announced tomorrow, I’m pretty happy there is competition, better choice for consumers. Then again, I’m not a die hard Apple fan.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed