How many WebOS *phone* users are left?

[cgk]

Does anyone know or is there a way to work out - how many WebOS *phone* users are left? I can't find any decent sources that discuss the matter.

[Rockbeast]

I'm one! Using my Launch Day Pre+ on VZW. It is still in pretty decent shape too. Has a crack over the usb port opening, has some oreo (I dropped it on pavement from about 3 feet...was tight before that), lost the usb door about 3 weeks ago.

Sorry, you were wondering how to gather this info, without every user having to manually enter "Present!" on their own, weren't you?

[cgk]

Originally Posted by Rockbeast

I'm one! Using my Launch Day Pre+ on VZW. It is still in pretty decent shape too. Has a crack over the usb port opening, has some oreo (I dropped it on pavement from about 3 feet...was tight before that), lost the usb door about 3 weeks ago.

Sorry, you were wondering how to gather this info, without every user having to manually enter "Present!" on their own, weren't you?

Hah - I was thinking more along the line of if anyone (ie an analyst) had worked out rough numbers - are we talking 50,000 users? 100,000? 25,000?

[pogeypre]

It's safe to assume there are a fair few still. Some are still rocking the aged Pre Minus.

The part I will never understand is, with such loyalty to the OS (much like Apple) why would you drop the OS (meaning HP)? Why not eek out a niche for yourself and grow from there? I digress....

I am sure there is some advanced calculus and creative use of the quadratic equation that will get you there........

I would guess there are 300,000 active webOS phone users worldwide..... using no math, just my gut.

[grappler]

Me = Pre3
My wife = Pre-
My sister-in-law = Pre-
My brother = Pre Plus

[grappler]

Originally Posted by pogeypre

The part I will never understand is, with such loyalty to the OS (much like Apple) why would you drop the OS (meaning HP)? Why not eek out a niche for yourself and grow from there? I digress....

I absolutely agree with this, and said as much right after Steve Jobs died. It seemed ironic that during all the worldwide accolades for the person who owed his success to a passionate--and once fairly small!--user base, HP was killing off webOS.

I'm not naive enough to think that a loyal and enthusiastic user base is *all* you need, but a lot of companies would kill for the sort of user support enjoyed by webOS.

[intellidryad]

Sprint launch day Pre here, chugging along!

Many things I don't want to give up:
- Touchstone
- Sprint unlimited data for $70/mo without that $10 additional charge
- Cards, and great notification
- Hardware keyboard
- Slide open the slider to answer a phone (much easier then tapping on a box on the screen as I don't need to look on the screen to answer the phone)
- Just type search for a contact and call right away
- Auto switch to speaker phone when phone is on the Touchstone

In comparison, making phone calls just seem like an afterthought on other smartphone, where the emphasis is all on Apps.

I did buy an AT&T Pre3, but then webOS 2.3 turned out to be a lot buggier then 1.4.5, and AT&T is so much more expensive, with a phone call sound quality that leaves you saying "can you hear me?" again and again.

It's sad that while webOS software is barely hanging on, the hardware team that made the Touchstone is already dead.

[eblade]

Of some 3,000,000 webOS accounts made, before the touchpad, you think that there's only at most 1/10th of those left?

Wasn't the first webOS phone release, approximately 2 years ago, meaning that people are just now getting off contracts?

[cgk]

Originally Posted by eblade

Of some 3,000,000 webOS accounts made, before the touchpad, you think that there's only at most 1/10th of those left?

Wasn't the first webOS phone release, approximately 2 years ago, meaning that people are just now getting off contracts?

There are so many variables - it's hard to know how to calculate it (I was hoping someone else has done the hard work) - the first Pre was the biggest launch and the biggest seller*, the plus was not such a success and then the Pre2 and Pre3 were literally pushed out to die in the cold (so I'm guessing didn't add many more users).

The other complexity is the length of contracts - if people are on two year contracts, the initial release was in June 2009 - so two year contracts would have been up @ June 2011 (over six months ago). However in some countries it came out a bit later but with short contracts (eighteen months).



* It's not even clear how big of a success that was - I can find news reports from the time that sales were below estimates after a reasonable start. Anyone able to find Palm results from around this period?

[jdale]

My Sprint Pre- is no longer being used.

Because I have a Pre3 now.

[Fisack23]

Me - Pre- (soon to be Frankenpre 2 as soon as I get Linux figured out!)
Wife - Pre-
Daughter - Pre-
Son - Pixi

[Grabber5.0]

Would you actually trust any number an "analyst" threw out? I would think HP would probably be the only source of an accurate number based on interaction with their server (though it would include deactivated devices running only on wifi).

I have an active Pre 2, and a Pre and Pre Plus running on WiFi for dev purposes.

[hagster]

I don't think me posting here to say that I know 3 people including myself will get you any further towards an answer.

I guess the best data would come from developers publishing Metrix data.

[DougB541#CB]

My pre was sold and long gone, maybe that guy still users it though haha. My gf's Pre is our back up sprint phone...though I just get an HTC Arrive so my Evo is my new backup.

The last Pre that i saw from someone i knew in real life was my co-worker...had a Verizon pre 2 and HATED it...just got rid of it and get an iPhone 4S.

[gbp]

Originally Posted by intellidryad

Sprint launch day Pre here, chugging along!

Many things I don't want to give up:
- Touchstone
- Sprint unlimited data for $70/mo without that $10 additional charge
- Cards, and great notification
- Hardware keyboard
- Slide open the slider to answer a phone (much easier then tapping on a box on the screen as I don't need to look on the screen to answer the phone)
- Just type search for a contact and call right away
- Auto switch to speaker phone when phone is on the Touchstone

In comparison, making phone calls just seem like an afterthought on other smartphone, where the emphasis is all on Apps.

I did buy an AT&T Pre3, but then webOS 2.3 turned out to be a lot buggier then 1.4.5, and AT&T is so much more expensive, with a phone call sound quality that leaves you saying "can you hear me?" again and again.

It's sad that while webOS software is barely hanging on, the hardware team that made the Touchstone is already dead.

+1
except I am waiting to jump the ship, Bye Sprint , hello Pre3 on ATT

[somline]

Long story short: Nobody knows.
But you can count me in Pre-/Pre2/Veer/Pre3 some extra devices as reserve.

EDIT: and always take care Dr.B is running on ALL devices. OK no calibration on the "new" one.

[OrionAntares]

Originally Posted by somline

Long story short: Nobody knows.
But you can count me in Pre-/Pre2/Veer/Pre3 some extra devices as reserve.

EDIT: and always take care Dr.B is running on ALL devices. OK no calibration on the "new" one.

Short story longer: HP would be the ones to be able to easily figure it out.
After all, all they really need to do it look up how many active webOS accounts have active phones on them.

[dbodner]

If we were running an android, we could just ask Carrier IQ!

(sorry, had to)

[somline]

Originally Posted by dbodner

If we were running an android, we could just ask Carrier IQ!

(sorry, had to)

Good one, but do you think they had answered? I doubt so.

[cobrakon]

Originally Posted by CGK

There are so many variables - it's hard to know how to calculate it (I was hoping someone else has done the hard work) - the first Pre was the biggest launch and the biggest seller*, the plus was not such a success and then the Pre2 and Pre3 were literally pushed out to die in the cold (so I'm guessing didn't add many more users).

The other complexity is the length of contracts - if people are on two year contracts, the initial release was in June 2009 - so two year contracts would have been up @ June 2011 (over six months ago). However in some countries it came out a bit later but with short contracts (eighteen months).



* It's not even clear how big of a success that was - I can find news reports from the time that sales were below estimates after a reasonable start. Anyone able to find Palm results from around this period?

ComScore (who's "Mobilens" software tracks actual device hits) was keeping a pretty good bead on webOS smartphones up until the month after Leo Apothedumba$$ shot webOS in the back as it was standing on a hill contemplating its future. There were about 1.8-2 million (yes, MILLION) of us left with a -.5 drop every 3 month period.

so if you go back to the last ComScore report with Palm #'s on it and extrapolate from there, you'd find about 1.3-1.4 million left give or take. Now I know of at least two people personally amongst the reports of others that now have AT&T Pre3s because of their FS TPads so it may have decline a little less the last few weeks.