[YankBoy]

The Motorolla Droid was released on 10/17/09. We're not even a year out from the original device and they have since released the Droid 2 and the Droid X. The Palm Pre was released 6/6/09 and we're still waiting on a true 2nd generation WebOS device.

[GuyFromNam]

Settle down Beavis...

[Cantaffordit]

and in that time frame android went from a new technology to outselling the iPhone...

[Achill3s]

and in that time frame, Palm was sold & acquired by HP. Like it or not, many things have changed within the infrastructure at Palm. We will have to jump ship or wait. Sad for us but it now truly is a hurry up and wait game.

[mhunterjr]

and in that time frame android went from a new technology to outselling the iPhone...

that's not true, android as an OS took it's time getting to the point where it outsold the iphone.

the G1 was realeased Oct 22, 2008. The Droid wasn't released until July 2009. Android over took iphone aug 5, 2010. Iphone was release july 2007.

so android was on the shelf along side the iphone for almost 2 years, and it took a countless amount of carriers, manufacturers, and SKU's to over take iphone sales. That's not really that impressive...

[finngirl]

When you consider that Android was a brand new OS (even though the phones themselves wer/are built by experienced handset makers), it still seems insane that Palm, a maker of the first, and best smartphones in the US couldn't compete.

And that applies to Apple too. Palm had a seven year head start on all of them.

[Cantaffordit]

but Android was not growing exponentially until the MotoDroid took off and became a best seller. That was the turning point, and was just a few months before the exclusive with Sprint was ended by the Verizon launch. If the pre had come out on VZW a few months earlier, and been marketed properly it might have had a chance.

[YankBoy]

I know there's been a lot of change at Palm, but the market moves fast. I don't know if WebOS can survive if they wait until sometime next year to release a new device. RIM is firmly established and nobody's moving them. Apple's Apple. Android is growing at an incredible rate...heck, Motorolla alone has released 3 Android devices in less than a year. If they keep waiting much longer, there simply won't be room.

[YankBoy]

Any chance HP/Palm would license out WebOS to other cell phone makers? This would get WebOS on more devices and in more users' hands...faster. That should lead to more interest from app developers. This could really push WebOS up the ladder some in terms of market share. I'd still want a Palm device, but maybe this could at least contribute to the survival of WebOS.

[Cantaffordit]

hard to get interest in licensing when android is free. HP is more likely to do the end-to-end solution like Apple and RIM

[strykr_ac]

marketing marketing marketing...

[mhunterjr]

but Android was not growing exponentially until the MotoDroid took off and became a best seller. That was the turning point, and was just a few months before the exclusive with Sprint was ended by the Verizon launch. If the pre had come out on VZW a few months earlier, and been marketed properly it might have had a chance.

your cancelling you're own point. it took android over a year to get the software and hardware it took to compete with iphone. why would you think anything different from palm?

also note that android had the benefit of numerous manufacturers who put their necks out there releasing mediocre device after mediocre device, until they finally got it right a year later. palm doesnt have that luxury. they have to get it right this time.

[mhunterjr]

When you consider that Android was a brand new OS (even though the phones themselves wer/are built by experienced handset makers), it still seems insane that Palm, a maker of the first, and best smartphones in the US couldn't compete.

And that applies to Apple too. Palm had a seven year head start on all of them.

palm has been around for a while, true, but webOS is newer than android, and they were cash-strapped after sales of palmOS handsets and palms mindshare fell off the earth. to expect them to come out the gate an compete side-by-side with the two biggest names in tech is a little ridiculous.

[Cantaffordit]

your cancelling you're own point. it took android over a year to get the software and hardware it took to compete with iphone. why would you think anything different from palm?

also note that android had the benefit of numerous manufacturers who put their necks out there releasing mediocre device after mediocre device, until they finally got it right a year later. palm doesnt have that luxury. they have to get it right this time.

my point was that android saw new devices every few months until they hit a winner. Palm stayed with the same hardware and the market had changed from RIM/Apple to RIM/Apple/Android before the Verizon launch.

Had they launched on VZW with a Pre DOES blitz before the MotoDroid, the world might be different now. that's all.

[StuckwVerizon]

palm has been around for a while, true, but webOS is newer than android, and they were cash-strapped after sales of palmOS handsets and palms mindshare fell off the earth. to expect them to come out the gate an compete side-by-side with the two biggest names in tech is a little ridiculous.

soon HPalm has to compete with three, Microsoft. Remember Microsoft was in smartphone business for long time too. Tey admit they made mistake and they are coming out real strong. I'll bet Microsoft will have more market share than WebOS with 6 months.

[DoobieDoo]

Forgive me for de-evolving into speculating, but I think HPalm is definately on it, but I kinda think they know they've blown it with this generation of mobile phones and their users, so they are thinking much longer term and much more strategically then around a single upgraded Pre2. Maybe they might put out an intermediate stop-gap phone, but it certainly wont shake the earth.

Instead they are planning for whole new generation of technology and adopters down the road. Maybe some of them will be old Palmies, maybe not, but I don't think they are even thinking in terms of customer loyalty that way. They are entranced with the idea of creating a dazzling new mobile paradigm (I can almost see the marketing guys in the slick suits at the end of the board room table..using that term.. "paradigm") They've decided to re-trench and re-think the whole way their mobile gets done. Look at Apple.. now it's not just iPhone; it's iPhone+iPad+iTouch. Mobile technology is now part of a much bigger picture that involves a range of portables and accesories and a "eco system". HP needs to leap frog to that level and then offer something special beyond it. The bad part: That's just going to take time to do.

Think about it, it takes lots of time and planning to steer a corporate tanker the size of HP. They are going to have to work with cutting edge manfactures to put out stunning new hardware AND make it with lots of quality control AND get developers on board to make killer apps AND put out a brilliant, massive marketing campaign AND make all the overtures to get in bed with the big carriers AND set up their distribution networks to handle supply demands AND get all their own corporate structures to react and coordinate like a well oiled machine for it all.

Phew, makes me hope that the best thing to come out of it, is that by the time Gen2 comes around Droid X and Droid 2 will be yesterdays news.

/gets off his soap box and slinks away

[Cantaffordit]

the good news is that 90% of the smartphone market hasn't been tapped yet. plenty of room for growth.

[StuckwVerizon]

the good news is that 90% of the smartphone market hasn't been tapped yet. plenty of room for growth.

Not all 90% of people need smartphone. I have 6 phone lines in my family plan, only 2 got smartphone and other 4 will never ever need any smartphone.

[dbpaddler]

And palm is still selling their two mediocre devices. So you're right. They need to hit the nail on the head for their 3rd device. Not seeing any next gen hardware yet makes the decision so easy for sprint users to get an epic or evo. 1yr from now will probably be a safe bet for a new Palm phone. The downside would be they get comfy with android and don't give palm a chance. I'm still game to try a 2.0 2nd gen device, but only if the hardware wows me. Give me Marvell's new triple core 1.5ghz processor and we're in business.

also note that android had the benefit of numerous manufacturers who put their necks out there releasing mediocre device after mediocre device, until they finally got it right a year later. palm doesnt have that luxury. they have to get it right this time.

[Cantaffordit]

Not all 90% of people need smartphone. I have 6 phone lines in my family plan, only 2 got smartphone andz other 4 will never ever need any smartphone.

that statistic is saying that of those that will buy a smartphone (the market) 90% of them have not yet purchased one.

I read it somewhere, probably mashable. I think it described projected smartphone growth through 2014 worldwide.

the point is that we are still in the 'early adopter phase' for fans of the book 'crossing the chasm'... So there is still time to win a seat at the grownup's table.