Why carriers are pushing android over pre

[Khalild]

Looks like this might be why carriers are marketing android more aggressively than WebOS, apparently google is sharing ad revenue with carriers:

Google Sharing Advertising Revenue With Android Carriers, Handset Manufacturers?

[CGK]

Originally Posted by Khalild

Looks like this might be why carriers are marketing android more aggressively than WebOS, apparently google is sharing ad revenue with carriers:

Google Sharing Advertising Revenue With Android Carriers, Handset Manufacturers?

Very sensible strategy when trying to build market share, very hard for a small-time player like Palm to compete against.

[ksom]

This could also be the reason Apple is mad at Google. The revenue sharing idea is not that crazy. Google is trying to secure its dominance in web advertisement.

Palm is too small. Microsoft is competing with Palm on mobile platform, so it is not likely it would whole heartedly support Palm. The only company in the same boat as Palm is Apple, but iPhone's strong position make it less vulnerable.

One option for Palm is go completely open source for WebOS. But it could be a poison pill for itself as well.

Another option is for Palm to create more end user applications. I think they are doing some of that with the new Facebook and hot spot apps. I would go even further to open source these Palm apps.

[CGK]

Originally Posted by ksom

This could also be the reason Apple is mad at Google. The revenue sharing idea is not that crazy. Google is trying to secure its dominance in web advertisement.

Palm is too small. Microsoft is competing with Palm on mobile platform, so it is not likely it would whole heartedly support Palm. The only company in the same boat as Palm is Apple, but iPhone's strong position make it less vulnerable.

One option for Palm is go completely open source for WebOS. But it could be a poison pill for itself as well.

Another option is for Palm to create more end user applications. I think they are doing some of that with the new Facebook and hot spot apps. I would go even further to open source these Palm apps.

What's also tricky for Palm is that the only people who could compete with Google in this way (for the moment at least) are Microsoft who do underpin their push for Windows Mobile 7 in the same way. Palm could get further buried by the battle between these two giants.

*However*, if this is a successful strategy, maybe that makes WebOS an interesting prospect for someone like Yahoo?

[trener1]

Didn't Yahoo and Microsoft just sign some type of partnership?.

[ImmaSlave4U]

Originally Posted by trener1

Didn't Yahoo and Microsoft just sign some type of partnership?.

Yes, a search partnership. www.bing.com

[mikah912]

I have to say I disagree with the premise of the thread. Carriers aren't choosing to push Android "over the Pre" because of money. The fact is, they had a diverse and mature lineup of products ready to market before Palm did with WebOS.

Some people here swear that if Pre launched in June of 2009 on Verizon with Droid-esque advertising, it would've gotten the same or better sales. Just aint so. WebOS 1.0 or 1.1 was a rushed, buggy beta that was released because it had to be, not because it was ready. There were few apps, no Facebook app, no 3D games, no video recording, a slower UI, hardware defects aplenty...oh, and a company that was deadset on branding their new OS with some esoteric, atmospheric commercials with monks and a stoned Borg Queen. And did I mention that shortly after launch, the two biggest rival carriers claimed they'd be carrying the same device 6 months or so from now?

No big Droid-esque high res screen. No huge catalog of apps. No free voice-activated Google navigation. No dock or car mode. No mature 2.0 OS. No guaranteed exclusive for the forseeable future. No mobile hotspot. No extra 256MB of RAM. No extra 8GB.

It would've been nothing like the Droid launch.

And it's not just Droid. Android was already onto their "Plus" version of their original handsets (The HTC Hero being a "plus" to the G1 and MyTouch) before Palm's 1.0 even made it to market. Droid was well into final designs and manufacturing (not to mention high-level partnership with Motorola, Google, and Verizon) by the time Palm even began to get their act together in late 2009.

Google may offer incentives to partners, but they also offer a more diverse, modern, and complete product line than pretty much anybody else around. Put simply, they were ready to go when Microsoft, Palm, and everyone else besides Apple WASN'T.

[jrdejavux]

Also palm pre hardware is garbage maybe that has something to do with it as well.

[PIKCACHU20]

It is also because Android is license free. Why develop your own OS when Android is free? It says the manufacturers big money and with all the free marketing they get with just having android installed its more revenue in their pocket

[slinky]

It probably has more to do with one very simple fact - the easy sell.
1. Get TURN BY TURN navigation, spoken to you... no need for a GPS
2. It syncs wonderfully with your gmail and google calendar
3. It's google, you know "google" the most popular everything on the web so searching, voice driven search, etc. are all built into the phone for Google's myriad of web products.
4. Tens of thousands of apps, soon to easily best the iPhone with much more usable apps
5. Don't like the keyboardless, get the one with the keyboard. Unfortunately with Palm, don't care for the Pre form factor, the Pixi is not an alternative. Get the Android phone type that works for you.

This alone says "kaching." Web OS is surely superior but it's definitely not something you see in the 2 minute conversation in the store or even easy to realize in a demo. After using both for a short period of time you realize the differences - which is after sale.

[meriwether]

Mikah912--very good analysis. I wonder if you will get slammed for it.

[cardfan]

Originally Posted by mikah912

I have to say I disagree with the premise of the thread. Carriers aren't choosing to push Android "over the Pre" because of money. The fact is, they had a diverse and mature lineup of products ready to market before Palm did with WebOS.

Some people here swear that if Pre launched in June of 2009 on Verizon with Droid-esque advertising, it would've gotten the same or better sales. Just aint so. WebOS 1.0 or 1.1 was a rushed, buggy beta that was released because it had to be, not because it was ready. There were few apps, no Facebook app, no 3D games, no video recording, a slower UI, hardware defects aplenty...oh, and a company that was deadset on branding their new OS with some esoteric, atmospheric commercials with monks and a stoned Borg Queen. And did I mention that shortly after launch, the two biggest rival carriers claimed they'd be carrying the same device 6 months or so from now?

No big Droid-esque high res screen. No huge catalog of apps. No free voice-activated Google navigation. No dock or car mode. No mature 2.0 OS. No guaranteed exclusive for the forseeable future. No mobile hotspot. No extra 256MB of RAM. No extra 8GB.

It would've been nothing like the Droid launch.

And it's not just Droid. Android was already onto their "Plus" version of their original handsets (The HTC Hero being a "plus" to the G1 and MyTouch) before Palm's 1.0 even made it to market. Droid was well into final designs and manufacturing (not to mention high-level partnership with Motorola, Google, and Verizon) by the time Palm even began to get their act together in late 2009.

Google may offer incentives to partners, but they also offer a more diverse, modern, and complete product line than pretty much anybody else around. Put simply, they were ready to go when Microsoft, Palm, and everyone else besides Apple WASN'T.

All of which is why i thought the palm/sprint exclusive should've been much longer. It should still be going on now really. The 6 months wasn't long enough and it was a poor attempt. Palm needed to incubate for a bit. The Pixi though should never have seen daylight no matter what and that was easily foreseen. Main incentive? Sprint's prices. I'd be more willing to be patient with Palm paying less per month.

Maybe we'd have seen a slab device by now..in addition to the Pre Plus, more webOS advancement, etc. Perhaps it'd be Palm announcing that 4G phone. Really win over sprint employees who basically act as Palm's sales reps.

So where's all the critics of the Evo saying...sprint? Why sprint? Remember, Engadget recommended Palm stay away from Sprint..even if its wimax..and that it was a mistake.