HP TOUCHPAD > Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[[icon]]

http://mashable.com/2010/04/28/hp-acquires-palm/

BREAKING: HP to Acquire Palm for $1.2 Billion

Ending weeks of speculation about its future, Palm has been acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.2 billion, the companies announced this afternoon.

The survival of webOS and its parent company had come under question in recent weeks, with some analysts suggesting that shares of Palm were essentially worthless. Things only got worse when RadioShack decided to stop selling Palm’s two flagship devices: Pre and Pixi.

Now it appears that Palm and its mobile operating system have lived to fight another day, with CEO Jon Rubinstein saying in a statement that “HP’s longstanding culture of innovation, scale and global operating resources make it the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of webOS.”

The move puts HP squarely back in the smartphone game (they currently sell the Windows Mobile-powered iPAQ) — a space pioneered in many ways by Palm during the 1990s but since taken over by the likes of Apple, Google, and Research in Motion. Even HP’s biggest rival in the PC space — Dell — is gearing up to launch an Android-powered smartphone later this year.

 

[culdeus]

Seems they vastly overpaid, but that's what HP is good at doing.

 

[Abraham]

Seems they vastly overpaid, but that's what HP is good at doing.

You're out of your mind. It's worth 3x that at 10x the price. HP is paying Microsoft ~$80 per device they put out on the mobile market, which seriously impedes HP's ability to compete in Mobile, which is the hot new space. Per the PC today, HP is going to use WebOS for phones, tablets, and netbooks. Better then Linux, cheaper then Windows....great move by HP. Google is a huge loser here too, as Android/Chrome was supposed to be the only Windows alternate out there.Great move by HP.

 

[Fennis]

It will be dificult for a hardware company to make the switch to software.

 

[Abraham]

It will be dificult for a hardware company to make the switch to software.

Love you Fennis, but you're missing the point. HP is rapidly deploying mobile devices, which require a lightweight and user-intuitive OS. They have just introduced their tablet and have Netbooks galore. Every one of those units, almost all of which are priced under $500, is either (a) running some version of Windows or (b) running a version of Linux that most customers won't buy. Getting rid of the Windows cost serves to increase margins OR present the HP offering at a pricepoint well beneath Asus, Acer, and Dell. A $220 HP Mini 10 or a $300 Dell Mini 10? You tell me what's going to sell like hotcakes in the education and under-18 sector. This is as savvy a tech acquisition since Yahoo bought Overture.

 

[3C's]

It will be dificult for a hardware company to make the switch to software.

HP-UX

 

[Fennis]

It will be dificult for a hardware company to make the switch to software.

Love you Fennis, but you're missing the point. HP is rapidly deploying mobile devices, which require a lightweight and user-intuitive OS. They have just introduced their tablet and have Netbooks galore. Every one of those units, almost all of which are priced under $500, is either (a) running some version of Windows or (b) running a version of Linux that most customers won't buy. Getting rid of the Windows cost serves to increase margins OR present the HP offering at a pricepoint well beneath Asus, Acer, and Dell. A $220 HP Mini 10 or a $300 Dell Mini 10? You tell me what's going to sell like hotcakes in the education and under-18 sector. This is as savvy a tech acquisition since Yahoo bought Overture.

I'm not saying its not a good acquisition for HP, I am just pointing out hardware and software are two very different worlds. I have worked for both hardware and software companies and with very few exceptions it is difficult to do both well.Development, test, release cycles are all significantly different.

 

[Abraham]

It will be dificult for a hardware company to make the switch to software.

Love you Fennis, but you're missing the point. HP is rapidly deploying mobile devices, which require a lightweight and user-intuitive OS. They have just introduced their tablet and have Netbooks galore. Every one of those units, almost all of which are priced under $500, is either (a) running some version of Windows or (b) running a version of Linux that most customers won't buy. Getting rid of the Windows cost serves to increase margins OR present the HP offering at a pricepoint well beneath Asus, Acer, and Dell. A $220 HP Mini 10 or a $300 Dell Mini 10? You tell me what's going to sell like hotcakes in the education and under-18 sector. This is as savvy a tech acquisition since Yahoo bought Overture.

I'm not saying its not a good acquisition for HP, I am just pointing out hardware and software are two very different worlds. I have worked for both hardware and software companies and with very few exceptions it is difficult to do both well.Development, test, release cycles are all significantly different.

Agree completely. But the "consolidation" is coming. The cost of paying for software on your machines is getting too expensive; Microsoft licenses are costly and in a commodity market, they are a killer. Bringing in your own scope of OS opens the door to lower prices, better margins, or both.

 

[Fennis]

It will be dificult for a hardware company to make the switch to software.

HP-UX

HP has many software offerings.

 

[EYLive]

So will HP be making a tablet to compete with the iPad using the palm OS?

 

[biggamer3]

Great news.

Palm gets a stay of execution with Jon Rubinstein still on board and HP gets a kick ### operating system in WebOS to use on the HP version of the Ipad

 

[saintfool]

big loser in all this? RIM.

 

[zander_s]

big loser in all this? RIM.

Getting left behind!

 

[Abraham]

So will HP be making a tablet to compete with the iPad using the palm OS?

They already have one coming, called the Slate. Lukewarm reviews so far....mainly because the OS sucks. Link

big loser in all this? RIM.

Disagree. BB 6.0 is going to make the RIM system much more modern in all the ways that it wasn't before (Music, Browser, integration of social stuff). Combined with some nice new phones (Talladega Anyone? on the horizon, I think that RIM will be in a position of strength for the coming years.

 

[eoMMan]

big loser in all this? RIM.

I'm sure they will find plenty of jobs to do.

 

[[icon]]

Big winner in all this: The Consumer.

It's no secret that I enjoy Apple devices, but having Google and HP/Palm OS pushing them is going to make the whole market ripe for advancements and price competition. Honestly I'm pretty excited to see what we've got in store over the next 2-3 years.

 

[[icon]]

I AM very curious to see how this all shakes out. IMHO the market has never really been ready for this many competing OS's before. IPhone, Android, PalmOS, RIM, Symbian, etc... The average consumer doesn't really have teh capacity to relearn many OSs and this will create a shakedown IMO.

Granted, these new stripped down mobile OS's are (at least theoretically) very simple to use, but I still think we're looking at an oversaturated marketplace at this point. Especially for one in it's infancy such as this. (referring to mobile devices not just phones)

 

[culdeus]

Seems they vastly overpaid, but that's what HP is good at doing.

You're out of your mind. It's worth 3x that at 10x the price. HP is paying Microsoft ~$80 per device they put out on the mobile market, which seriously impedes HP's ability to compete in Mobile, which is the hot new space. Per the PC today, HP is going to use WebOS for phones, tablets, and netbooks. Better then Linux, cheaper then Windows....great move by HP. Google is a huge loser here too, as Android/Chrome was supposed to be the only Windows alternate out there.Great move by HP.

You don't value companies by what they are worth to you, but what they are worth to others.

 

[Abraham]

I AM very curious to see how this all shakes out. IMHO the market has never really been ready for this many competing OS's before. IPhone, Android, PalmOS, RIM, Symbian, etc... The average consumer doesn't really have teh capacity to relearn many OSs and this will create a shakedown IMO. Granted, these new stripped down mobile OS's are (at least theoretically) very simple to use, but I still think we're looking at an oversaturated marketplace at this point. Especially for one in it's infancy such as this. (referring to mobile devices not just phones)

Agreed, which is why the "best" part of all this is that these competing OS's are going to have to be built to be VERY easy for the consumer. Perhaps the best thing about the iPhone is that it takes about 2 minutes to learn how to use. I think that in 5 years we'll see WinMo as almost purely Business/Enterprise... Android, HP/Palm, Dell, and Apple vying for the consumer segment...and Blackberry trying to be in both worlds. Windows Mobile 7 looks REALLY good. BB 6.0 looks REALLY good. Android gets better by the month. Going to be some wicked devices soon.

 

[Otis]

Read this today and couldn't believe it.

Yes, HP is selling more computers than anyone, but their products are, in my experience, pretty crappy. They seem like the old guard to me, and it has just seemed like a matter of time until they fall behind. Their entree into mobile markets has been a repeat disaster.

Now you pair them up with the already-failed-at-mobile-markets PALM. Yes, they were innovators in the 80s, and even 90s, but what have they done since the Palm Pilot that anyone cares about? Nothing.

To me you have the marriage of two old computer companies with nothing current and, at least based on what they've offered recently, no vision. One of the articles I saw was touting the HP slate, which by all reviews I've read is a piece of junk compared to the iPad and what's expected from the android market.

They look to me like old, tired brands without any good products. It's Ford or GM 5 years ago. Now, Ford is suddenly a player again, has completely revamped its image, and is introducing fantastic products. But for years that brand was a mess. Will HP turn it around the way Ford did? For their sake I hope so. But, if I'm a betting man, I'm betting against this being a success, and it's just a marriage of two giant yawns to me.

 

[Otis]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

 

[Otis]

Big winner in all this: The Consumer. It's no secret that I enjoy Apple devices, but having Google and HP/Palm OS pushing them is going to make the whole market ripe for advancements and price competition. Honestly I'm pretty excited to see what we've got in store over the next 2-3 years.

I really will be shocked if HP/Palm are anywhere near the same league as Apple and Google/Android in the coming years. I think they are already way too far behind.

 

[culdeus]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

You talking about the intrisnity deal? That hardly compares.

 

[Abraham]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

Buying intrinsity is a "who cares" moment. Send me a Fax when they buy ARM....until then, buying a small licensee of ARM when there are a couple hundred others in the same water is meh.

 

[Otis]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

You talking about the intrisnity deal? That hardly compares.

Yes. It doesn't compare in size, but I think it's a much better move in terms of strategy. If HP had picked up an Android maker, or got a piece of Google somehow, I'd have thought "wow, this is a tired old brand realizing it's a tired old brand and looking to step it up and reinvent itself to compete with today's market." Instead they picked up the oldest and worst of the mobile market.Just don't like the move for them.

 

[Otis]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

Buying intrinsity is a "who cares" moment. Send me a Fax when they buy ARM....until then, buying a small licensee of ARM when there are a couple hundred others in the same water is meh.

Apple doesn't need to own all of the hardware components. As it stands, they do more than just about any computer/mobile company out there in that they design/build their own hardware AND their own software. Microsoft is a software company. Dell is a hardware company. Etc.But whatever strides Apple can make in cornering important segments of the hardware market -- particularly when it comes to low power mobile hardware -- is a smart move. They don't need to invest the money in doing this on a huge scale, and they don't need to get into making DRAM or other commodities, but if they can scoop up some high tech hardware niches that will give them an edge in the mobile market -- which is where all of this is going anyway -- I think it's brilliant. Especially when it's on the cheap. It cost them nearly nothing. They made a bigger but similar move last year, and you've got to think they will continue to make these kinds of moves in the future. I just see Apple as a company that is incredibly well run, has an identity, has a vision for where things are going, and which makes great products. HP just looks to me like its floundering, and picking up Palm of all people doesn't change that perception for me.

 

[[icon]]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

Buying intrinsity is a "who cares" moment. Send me a Fax when they buy ARM....until then, buying a small licensee of ARM when there are a couple hundred others in the same water is meh.

I tend to agree here. There's a benefit in getting a bit more vertical with their supply chain here but they're looking at some cost benefits and that's about it. I don't see it as really improving their product line.I think they see the future (something apple is quite good at) and that future is an increasingly crowded competitive marketplace in a still-fledgling economy. They realize that as quality competition for the tablet market surfaces (and it will) they're going to have to be competitive in pricing to maintain their leadership position

 

[Abraham]

I just see Apple as a company that is incredibly well run, has an identity, has a vision for where things are going, and which makes great products. HP just looks to me like its floundering, and picking up Palm of all people doesn't change that perception for me.

I tend to agree with all of this, just saying that the little pieces they are picking up pale in comparison to a full ARM acquisition. I thought HTC would have been a better partner for Palm. But the patents alone are worth plenty to HP.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I'm making my first foray into the smartphone market when my current contract is up in October and was all but sold on the HTC Hero rather than the Palm Pre, based solely on the fact that I was afraid Palm and the Palm OS was about to go ( o Y o ) up and leave me with an obsolete phone with no apps. Now that this happened, I might have to revisit the Palm.

IN before the "dinosaur technology" cracks. I'm not a cutting-edge guy when it comes to tech stuff, I wait for a certain generation of technology to get really cheap and then buy.

 

[zander_s]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

You talking about the intrisnity deal? That hardly compares.

Yes. It doesn't compare in size, but I think it's a much better move in terms of strategy. If HP had picked up an Android maker, or got a piece of Google somehow, I'd have thought "wow, this is a tired old brand realizing it's a tired old brand and looking to step it up and reinvent itself to compete with today's market." Instead they picked up the oldest and worst of the mobile market.Just don't like the move for them.

I would hardly call the WebOS the worst of anything. As Abe said earlier, having a software platform that isn't Windows or Linux puts them in a better place!

 

[culdeus]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

You talking about the intrisnity deal? That hardly compares.

Yes. It doesn't compare in size, but I think it's a much better move in terms of strategy. If HP had picked up an Android maker, or got a piece of Google somehow, I'd have thought "wow, this is a tired old brand realizing it's a tired old brand and looking to step it up and reinvent itself to compete with today's market." Instead they picked up the oldest and worst of the mobile market.Just don't like the move for them.

The ROI may be a long ways in coming. Price was wrong, but if the whole cloud computing concept comes to pass PalmOS is a nice place to start and has some advantages if they are looking at products 3 years out.

 

[Foosball God]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

Buying intrinsity is a "who cares" moment. Send me a Fax when they buy ARM....until then, buying a small licensee of ARM when there are a couple hundred others in the same water is meh.

Apple doesn't need to own all of the hardware components. As it stands, they do more than just about any computer/mobile company out there in that they design/build their own hardware AND their own software. Microsoft is a software company. Dell is a hardware company. Etc.

But whatever strides Apple can make in cornering important segments of the hardware market -- particularly when it comes to low power mobile hardware -- is a smart move. They don't need to invest the money in doing this on a huge scale, and they don't need to get into making DRAM or other commodities, but if they can scoop up some high tech hardware niches that will give them an edge in the mobile market -- which is where all of this is going anyway -- I think it's brilliant. Especially when it's on the cheap. It cost them nearly nothing. They made a bigger but similar move last year, and you've got to think they will continue to make these kinds of moves in the future.

I just see Apple as a company that is incredibly well run, has an identity, has a vision for where things are going, and which makes great products. HP just looks to me like its floundering, and picking up Palm of all people doesn't change that perception for me.

Then why are you ragging on HP buying the means to do exactly what Apple is doing? Now they have the hardware platform and a respectable software OS.

 

[Otis]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

Buying intrinsity is a "who cares" moment. Send me a Fax when they buy ARM....until then, buying a small licensee of ARM when there are a couple hundred others in the same water is meh.

Apple doesn't need to own all of the hardware components. As it stands, they do more than just about any computer/mobile company out there in that they design/build their own hardware AND their own software. Microsoft is a software company. Dell is a hardware company. Etc.

But whatever strides Apple can make in cornering important segments of the hardware market -- particularly when it comes to low power mobile hardware -- is a smart move. They don't need to invest the money in doing this on a huge scale, and they don't need to get into making DRAM or other commodities, but if they can scoop up some high tech hardware niches that will give them an edge in the mobile market -- which is where all of this is going anyway -- I think it's brilliant. Especially when it's on the cheap. It cost them nearly nothing. They made a bigger but similar move last year, and you've got to think they will continue to make these kinds of moves in the future.

I just see Apple as a company that is incredibly well run, has an identity, has a vision for where things are going, and which makes great products. HP just looks to me like its floundering, and picking up Palm of all people doesn't change that perception for me.

Then why are you ragging on HP buying the means to do exactly what Apple is doing? Now they have the hardware platform and a respectable software OS.

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat? HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.

I would agree with you if HP had acquired someone else. Palm won't help them crack the mobile market.

 

[Card Trader]

I'm making my first foray into the smartphone market when my current contract is up in October and was all but sold on the HTC Hero rather than the Palm Pre, based solely on the fact that I was afraid Palm and the Palm OS was about to go ( o Y o ) up and leave me with an obsolete phone with no apps. Now that this happened, I might have to revisit the Palm.IN before the "dinosaur technology" cracks. I'm not a cutting-edge guy when it comes to tech stuff, I wait for a certain generation of technology to get really cheap and then buy.

If Apps are important then the iPhone and Android are really your only two choices. # of AppsPalm: 2000Android: 50,000iPhone: Nearing 200,000

 

[[icon]]

If Apps are important then the iPhone and Android are really your only two choices. # of AppsPalm: 2000Android: 50,000iPhone: Nearing 200,000

For now there is little motivation for developers to focus on any market outside Android/iPhone. If HP can dramatically increase the installed base of Palm then you might see Palm make some gains in the software market but I'm not currently holding my breath.

 

[Foosball God]

By the way, sliding below the radar here is Apple's acquisition of another high speed mobile chip maker in Texas.

Buying intrinsity is a "who cares" moment. Send me a Fax when they buy ARM....until then, buying a small licensee of ARM when there are a couple hundred others in the same water is meh.

Apple doesn't need to own all of the hardware components. As it stands, they do more than just about any computer/mobile company out there in that they design/build their own hardware AND their own software. Microsoft is a software company. Dell is a hardware company. Etc.

But whatever strides Apple can make in cornering important segments of the hardware market -- particularly when it comes to low power mobile hardware -- is a smart move. They don't need to invest the money in doing this on a huge scale, and they don't need to get into making DRAM or other commodities, but if they can scoop up some high tech hardware niches that will give them an edge in the mobile market -- which is where all of this is going anyway -- I think it's brilliant. Especially when it's on the cheap. It cost them nearly nothing. They made a bigger but similar move last year, and you've got to think they will continue to make these kinds of moves in the future.

I just see Apple as a company that is incredibly well run, has an identity, has a vision for where things are going, and which makes great products. HP just looks to me like its floundering, and picking up Palm of all people doesn't change that perception for me.

Then why are you ragging on HP buying the means to do exactly what Apple is doing? Now they have the hardware platform and a respectable software OS.

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat? HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.

I would agree with you if HP had acquired someone else. Palm won't help them crack the mobile market.

You think Palm is failing because of their OS? And to say that they don't have a hardware platform is ridiculous, just because you haven't liked their products of late doesn't mean the platform is not there.

 

[[icon]]

As an aside I LOVE apple's acquisition of Siri. I see this technology being integrated into iPhone OS. When combined with GPS this is a VERY powerful bit of software that will resonate strongly with the general public. This type of Concierge could create a nice point of differentiation.

http://mashable.com/2010/04/28/siri-mobile-search/

DEMO:

http://siri.com/about/

 

[Otis]

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat? HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.I would agree with you if HP had acquired someone else. Palm won't help them crack the mobile market.

You think Palm is failing because of their OS? And to say that they don't have a hardware platform is ridiculous, just because you haven't liked their products of late doesn't mean the platform is not there.

This isn't about me or what I like. It's about what the market likes. Look at the sales numbers.

 

[culdeus]

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat? HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.I would agree with you if HP had acquired someone else. Palm won't help them crack the mobile market.

You think Palm is failing because of their OS? And to say that they don't have a hardware platform is ridiculous, just because you haven't liked their products of late doesn't mean the platform is not there.

This isn't about me or what I like. It's about what the market likes. Look at the sales numbers.

This is the same disconnect you have in all these apple v everybody threads. Apple market share of $250k+ lawyers may be high, but that's the only segment you are exposed to. Apple is doing fine with less than 20% share, and in some ways they seem to have maxed this out. If another system comes along and can just carve out 10% from other carriers it won't hurt Apple. They made their own bed with AT&T long ago and now they have to lie in it. The sales number race is over. If anything Apple's moves are indicators that market share growth is no longer the priority and they have to drive down costs. That being said I doubt this HP move is a signal they want to get into the phone market. This seems simply like a notebook type move to me.

 

[Abraham]

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat?HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.

Palm has a VERY strong OS. The fact that it didn't sell is based on 3 factors: 1. They launched their major devices of late (Palm Pro, Pre, Pixi) on Sprint, which was an awful move.2. The marketing/branding effort for the Pre was perhaps the worst I've seen in avery long time.3. The hardware of the Pre was lacking compared to other models in the market. The screen would twist, the trackball would jam. Just awful.

 

[TLEF316]

Read this today and couldn't believe it.Yes, HP is selling more computers than anyone, but their products are, in my experience, pretty crappy. They seem like the old guard to me, and it has just seemed like a matter of time until they fall behind. Their entree into mobile markets has been a repeat disaster. Now you pair them up with the already-failed-at-mobile-markets PALM. Yes, they were innovators in the 80s, and even 90s, but what have they done since the Palm Pilot that anyone cares about? Nothing.To me you have the marriage of two old computer companies with nothing current and, at least based on what they've offered recently, no vision. One of the articles I saw was touting the HP slate, which by all reviews I've read is a piece of junk compared to the iPad and what's expected from the android market.They look to me like old, tired brands without any good products. It's Ford or GM 5 years ago. Now, Ford is suddenly a player again, has completely revamped its image, and is introducing fantastic products. But for years that brand was a mess. Will HP turn it around the way Ford did? For their sake I hope so. But, if I'm a betting man, I'm betting against this being a success, and it's just a marriage of two giant yawns to me.

But what if HP comes out with fancy commercials with bright colors and silhouettes dancing to hip modern music?

 

[Otis]

This isn't about me or what I like. It's about what the market likes. Look at the sales numbers.

This is the same disconnect you have in all these apple v everybody threads. Apple market share of $250k+ lawyers may be high, but that's the only segment you are exposed to. Apple is doing fine with less than 20% share, and in some ways they seem to have maxed this out. If another system comes along and can just carve out 10% from other carriers it won't hurt Apple. They made their own bed with AT&T long ago and now they have to lie in it. The sales number race is over. If anything Apple's moves are indicators that market share growth is no longer the priority and they have to drive down costs. That being said I doubt this HP move is a signal they want to get into the phone market. This seems simply like a notebook type move to me.

This isn't just about Apple market share of "$250k+ lawyers." It's a 244 BILLION dollar company. They're worth twice what HP is worth. Palm's market cap isn't even one billion.

You asked me why I think Palm isn't doing well, and suggested that it was just my opinion. It's not an opinion. It's just how it is. There's a reason why Palm wasn't doing well. As an example, there's info here on sales figures for the Palm Pre. It isn't much.

So I'm not sure what this has to do with people's salaries or fancy commercials or anything else that's been mentioned here. The reality is that as HP has been struggling to get a foothold in mobile. And HP makes a big move to try and garner some success in the mobile device market and they go out and buy ... drum roll ... a failing mobile device maker.

I'm not seeing "S U C C E S S" in that alphabet soup.

But again, I don't understand what point you're trying to make.

 

[Otis]

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat?HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.

Palm has a VERY strong OS. The fact that it didn't sell is based on 3 factors: 1. They launched their major devices of late (Palm Pro, Pre, Pixi) on Sprint, which was an awful move.2. The marketing/branding effort for the Pre was perhaps the worst I've seen in avery long time.3. The hardware of the Pre was lacking compared to other models in the market. The screen would twist, the trackball would jam. Just awful.

That's fine, but HP went out and bought that company, and thereby inherited those same problems. It's not like HP has a killer device sitting around and all they needed was the Palm OS. Seriously, have you ever even seen an iPaq? How many of those could they possibly be selling?So yeah, you can name all the reasons that Palm failed, but I don't see those reasons disappearing because HP is now the parent company. (Note: if HP had been showing signs of life and introducing awesome, competitive products, maybe I'd feel like they could right the ship -- I just don't see that).

 

[toshiba]

I'm making my first foray into the smartphone market when my current contract is up in October and was all but sold on the HTC Hero rather than the Palm Pre, based solely on the fact that I was afraid Palm and the Palm OS was about to go ( o Y o ) up and leave me with an obsolete phone with no apps. Now that this happened, I might have to revisit the Palm.IN before the "dinosaur technology" cracks. I'm not a cutting-edge guy when it comes to tech stuff, I wait for a certain generation of technology to get really cheap and then buy.

If Apps are important then the iPhone and Android are really your only two choices. # of AppsPalm: 2000Android: 50,000iPhone: Nearing 200,000

I do hate this counting of apps deal. I agree Palm is way behind in apps. But most of those 200K and 50K apps are complete junk.

 

[Otis]

# of AppsPalm: 2000Android: 50,000iPhone: Nearing 200,000

I do hate this counting of apps deal. I agree Palm is way behind in apps. But most of those 200K and 50K apps are complete junk.

You're missing the point. The point isn't the quality of the apps. The point is that the sheer number of apps suggests that the market -- and people developing software for a current platform and counting on its success -- has told us what it thinks of the Palm platform as compared with the others.There's just no comparison.

 

[toshiba]

# of AppsPalm: 2000Android: 50,000iPhone: Nearing 200,000

I do hate this counting of apps deal. I agree Palm is way behind in apps. But most of those 200K and 50K apps are complete junk.

You're missing the point. The point isn't the quality of the apps. The point is that the sheer number of apps suggests that the market -- and people developing software for a current platform and counting on its success -- has told us what it thinks of the Palm platform as compared with the others.There's just no comparison.

No I get the point. There are a lot of really unskilled developers developing apps for the Android and Apple devices. I have a Droid and had an iPhone, and I know how crappy a lot of these apps where/are. I know what you are saying about the sheer number and how it indicates usage, but the Palm has had a history of not being friendly to prospective developers and Apple has really let any crappy developer put an app up for use.I never liked Palm OS, I just think the app count has a lot of holes in it.

 

[Card Trader]

I do hate this counting of apps deal. I agree Palm is way behind in apps. But most of those 200K and 50K apps are complete junk.

Yep, a ton of junk on both Apple and Android market, there are also thousands of great apps on each. No one is really writing apps for Palms.

 

[Abraham]

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat?HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.

Palm has a VERY strong OS. The fact that it didn't sell is based on 3 factors: 1. They launched their major devices of late (Palm Pro, Pre, Pixi) on Sprint, which was an awful move.2. The marketing/branding effort for the Pre was perhaps the worst I've seen in avery long time.3. The hardware of the Pre was lacking compared to other models in the market. The screen would twist, the trackball would jam. Just awful.

That's fine, but HP went out and bought that company, and thereby inherited those same problems. It's not like HP has a killer device sitting around and all they needed was the Palm OS. Seriously, have you ever even seen an iPaq? How many of those could they possibly be selling?So yeah, you can name all the reasons that Palm failed, but I don't see those reasons disappearing because HP is now the parent company. (Note: if HP had been showing signs of life and introducing awesome, competitive products, maybe I'd feel like they could right the ship -- I just don't see that).

Fair points. But building a great hardware piece to go with your already existing software is a lot easier then building a great hardware piece and building a great software piece.

 

[HellToupee]

I dunno still tough waters ahead for webOS/HP with iPhone, android devices ,new Winmo 7 & new RIM coming

the game might already be over

 

[Otis]

Because I disagree that (1) they have the hardware platform or (2) a respectable software OS. Palm is a failing enterprise. If it were that respectable, why were they barely afloat?

HP has made a bunch of mobile devices that nobody cares about, and now a tablet that is going to get crushed by the competition.

Palm has a VERY strong OS. The fact that it didn't sell is based on 3 factors: 1. They launched their major devices of late (Palm Pro, Pre, Pixi) on Sprint, which was an awful move.

2. The marketing/branding effort for the Pre was perhaps the worst I've seen in avery long time.

3. The hardware of the Pre was lacking compared to other models in the market. The screen would twist, the trackball would jam. Just awful.

That's fine, but HP went out and bought that company, and thereby inherited those same problems. It's not like HP has a killer device sitting around and all they needed was the Palm OS. Seriously, have you ever even seen an iPaq? How many of those could they possibly be selling?So yeah, you can name all the reasons that Palm failed, but I don't see those reasons disappearing because HP is now the parent company. (Note: if HP had been showing signs of life and introducing awesome, competitive products, maybe I'd feel like they could right the ship -- I just don't see that).

Fair points. But building a great hardware piece to go with your already existing software is a lot easier then building a great hardware piece and building a great software piece.

That's fair too. It's better than nothing. And maybe the deal is worth the $1B for other reasons (patent portfolio, etc.) anyway. I just think that if HP wants to compete in that space, there are better ways than saddling up with Palm.