Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone
Palm and Verizon looking to take shine off Apple and AT&T
In a minefield of failed "iPhone killers" one is making some headway on fulfilling that murderous promise: the Palm Pre.
Perhaps it's no surprise: the Palm Pre was conceived by a team that includes plenty of Apple alumni, including Jon Rubenstein, who was made Palm's CEO yesterday to replace Ed Colligan. (John Gruber reminds us of one of Colligan's more famous quotes.) Rubenstein used to be the general manager of Apple's iPod division.
Not only that, but Fred Anderson, Lynn Fox, and Mike Bell are all connected (if not employed by) the re-energized Palm. Valleywag's Ryan Tate says it's no wonder, then, that the Pre syncs with iTunes right out of the box.
Competition is good, though, right? We'll see improvements to both the iPhone and the Pre because of the products' competitive relationship with each other. Look at the rivalry between Canon and Nikon: The result? Awesome cameras both. In the end, the customer wins.
This is true with carriers, too, as exclusivity agreements begin to expire. There were rumblings that the Pre would be released on the Verizon network around Christmas, but blowback from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse pushed the rumor mill's schedule back a month to January 2010, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Watercooler talk suggests that the iPhone's exclusivity agreement with AT&T expires around the same time for U.S. customers, but the Magic 8 Ball says that we might not see an iPhone for Verizon until both they and AT&T finish their LTE networks.
If you're using a Pre with your Mac, especially if you're taking advantage of the iTunes sync capability, let us know in the comments how it's going.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Dr. Spaceman said 6:05PM on 6-11-2009
Good luck...
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Look said 6:17PM on 6-11-2009
So boring!!! Especially when you guys don't realize that Palm is competing with Rim not with Apple!
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Jon said 8:42PM on 6-11-2009
Dude, hello, they are all competing. If you don't think Palm wants to eat up the iPhone's market share, you're lying to yourself. Also, gasp, RIM is competing with Apple! I know it might sound crazy but as advanced as the iPhone is, the competitors still see it as market to take because they're all phones. Apple's just happens to be a little bit smarter.
Denton said 6:25PM on 6-11-2009
Look, the entire industry is competing with, and playing catch-up to, Apple. To say that Palm is not competing with Apple, especially with a product like the Pre, is just silly beyond words.
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Look said 6:34PM on 6-11-2009
I disagree.
Apple is going mainstream...fast. Palm still got the business/ smart phone mentality. The iphone is the new ipod and the Pre is the new blackberry;)
Dave said 11:21PM on 6-11-2009
@look
Heh... Um.. okay.
puhsitch said 1:12AM on 6-12-2009
@Look: All that means is that Palm has a narrow focus (although it seems to me like they *are* at least trying to branch out). There's no rule that a company has to choose to focus primarily on business or pleasure. "Mainstream" and "business" don't have to be mutually exclusive...
Look said 7:05PM on 6-13-2009
@puhsitch / @ Dave
Here you go:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/06/ars-reviews-the-palm-pre-part-1-the-blackberry-killer.ars
turbonium said 6:26PM on 6-11-2009
I'm using my Pre on my Mac and it works just as flawlessly for syncing music/photos as my iPhone 3G does.
I think the pre's interface and usability is much better than the iPhone, but appstore rules. I really want to see the app catalog on the pre succeed but iPhone is already so far ahead.
(i'm a dev for iphone and webos)
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HH said 6:29PM on 6-11-2009
Pre syncs with my Mac iTunes fine, with one exception: Photos do not show up in Pre unless I copy over the "full resolution" versions. If you turn off the full resolution option, which I want to do for obvious reasons, the photos copy (occupy storage) but do not show up on the Pre.
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dastranger said 6:41PM on 6-11-2009
I doubt the Pre will have much impact, however VZ could. Why? AT&T.
'Nuff said.
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billcantfart said 11:20PM on 6-11-2009
To me it seems like the Pre has made a pretty big impact already. A little while after it was announced along with it's features and whatnot, Apple pushed out 3.0 which kinda brings the iPhone up to speed with the Pre(multitasking/background notifications, universal search, copy/paste)
Quix said 2:21AM on 6-12-2009
@ billcantfart:
You honestly think that iPhone 3.0 was quickly cobbled together in response to the Pre announcement? Really?
Sivartis said 7:41PM on 6-11-2009
I don't know, guys, I'm wrestling hard with the decision to buy a Pre or an iPhone 3Gs. I've been a vocal supporter of Apple for the several years since my switch, but could never bring myself to like the iPhone - add on the At&t exclusivity and it didn't stand a chance with me.
Not only do I really dislike At&t's wireless service, but I've been with Sprint for almost 12 years because I like THEIR service so much - ooh, yeah, and I'm not looking forward to paying so much more for service if I do indeed get an iPhone.
Also, I went in to take a look at a Pre, and played with it for a while, and it is without a doubt a gorgeous device. On the other hand, this newest iPhone design fixes pretty much all of the major remaining problems I had with the iPhone; most notably the inability to dial without looking at the device (yay for elegant voice control!), and no cut/paste.
In the end, what I really need is something that can sync my contacts, email and calendar over the air, and not only can the Pre not do all three yet, I'm really enjoying MobileMe... Until some app comes along that will let me do that on the Pre, it looks like I'll be enjoying At&t's hospitality for 2 years.
That being said, please don't discount the Palm Pre just yet. I have friends who are very strong in their support for their new Pre's, and for good reason.
~Trav
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Muero said 8:21PM on 6-11-2009
Cell coverage can vary wildly between areas. AT&T blows Sprint away where I live, and I have fast 3G everywhere I go. But I understand that in many other areas, AT&T's coverage isn't as good as Sprint's, especially in 3G. If you've been that happy with Sprint, I'd say to stick with them. If you have good 3G coverage for both Sprint and AT&T, then just spend a few minutes using both devices, and see how intuitive and easy to use both are for you. Both webOS and iPhone OS are darn good and seem to be updated regularly, so I don't think you can go wrong either way.
SpaceGoatPriest said 9:24AM on 6-12-2009
I am a big Apple fan, but AT&T kills it for me. Verizon would be just as bad. I agree with on Sprint. They were probably the bottom of the bucket about 5 years ago, but imo they are on top right now. You really can't beat their monthly prices, and they have great coverage (at least in my area). AT&T does not have 3G here, but Sprint has EVDO Rev.A
I was really stoked about the new iPhone, but my work decided to stay with Sprint (which was cheaper and a better value). I also found out that the boss wants me to keep a phone. So I am giving the Pre a few weeks to die down, and I might replace my BB 8330 with one. Which btw the BB Curve is a really good phone. The browser is a really week spot though.
Nathan said 7:50PM on 6-11-2009
The Pre is a fine device, and WebOS looks slick. I don't think if the two as direct competitors though, with the Pre more business oriented and the iPhone more consumer oriented (not that consumers won't buy Pre or business users buy iPhone).
I admit that I wanted a Pre, but up close and personal, the device seems a bit cheaply made, and the portrait keyboard's buttons are just too small for me. Sprint's coverage is also sub par in my region. The spec bumps to the iPhone 3G S means that it will probably replace my aging launch day iPhone 2G.
Some iPhone detractors say that the iPhone is not a smart phone, but a multimedia phone. That's fine with me, call it what you want, but the capabilities that it provides are just what I and millions of others want in a phone - easy music player, youtube, internet, and apps.
Pre / WinMo / Android may work better for other people and that's fine. There is room for more than one type of device in the market, and the competition serves to make all devices continue to improve.
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Ryan Morano said 10:48PM on 6-11-2009
I agree with you completely, aside from one statement, WinMo may work better for some people. I've had Windows Mobile since WM5 and currently running 6.1 on my HTC Tilt, and I can't seem to make sense of what they're thinking over in Redmond. No matter what phone I've used, or what WM OS (5, 6, and 6.1), It's still slow and unreliable. It freezes constantly, it lags, no matter what I do, or how many programs I have open. It sometimes lags so much, that its to the point where I try to answer a phone call and the caller gets sent to my voice mail because it takes too long for my phone to respond to my excessive clicking of the answer key. Not forgetting to mention, when 6.1 was released, it contained MANY bugs, which I now have to live with for my 2 year contract because there's no way MS is planning on upgrading my phone's software...
And by the looks of it, 6.5 is only a minor upgrade from 6.1. I don't see much changing aside from the appearance. It's still running on the same mobile OS.
I'll stick with Apple and Android from now on.
John Mortnesen said 9:47PM on 6-11-2009
I played with my buddies Pre the other day. I have to say I liked many aspects of the WebOS. Seems very smooth indeed. But the phone is REALLY SMALL. The keyboard is positively microscopic. There is no way that keyboard is better than the iPhone. People seeking a dedicated keyboard will most certainly be frustrated with the Pre. Also the Pre screen is tiny. Watching a movie or playing a game on it would be a chore for sure.
I found an issue with usability as well. With the iPhone you pick it up and use it the way you would think. Point click, pinch, etc. With the Pre you have to learn where and how you gesture. You do one thing on the gesture bar and another thing on the screen. Not very straight forward. If you don't know it's "tricks", you can't even go back to a previous screen.
After a while I did figure out how to use the Pre pretty well. I really would be interested in seeing the WebOS run on an iPhone (or iPhone like) device.
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David Ahn said 5:57AM on 6-15-2009
I agree, navigation took some getting used to, but I'm getting good at it, and I now find it more intuitive than the iPhone. As far as needing to learn how to use it, the iPhone had TV commercials and videos on their website showing you how to use the swipes and pinches; it seems second nature because we've all been using it for 2 years now.