Palm Cancels Foleo

[MacRumors]

In a surprising move, Palm has discontinued the unreleased Foleo mobile companion product that was announced with much fanfare at this year's D: All Things Digital Conference.

The blog entry written by Palm CEO Ed Colligan states that "it has become clear that the right path for Palm is to offer a single, consistent user experience around this new platform design and a single focus for our platform development efforts."

Canceling the Foleo will cause Palm will take a $10 million dollar hit to their earnings. They plan to focus on their single platform and will consider introducing the Foleo again in the future based on their one platform:

We're not going to speculate now on timing for a next Foleo, we just know we need to get our core platform and smartphones done first.

Palm has certainly seen pressure from Apple's iPhone introduction as well as some public criticism.

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[siurpeeman]

i'm not surprised. the foleo did too little in a package that was too big.

[newguineafan]

Wow, not looking good for Palm, is it??

[Sandfleaz]

You had to see this coming .. introduced a few weeks before the launch of the iPhone. Even with out the iPhone it was the answer to a question nobody was asking.

[kbrain2929]

Hmm... Dang! (sarcasticly) Bad for Palm... good for Apple! Good for Apple = Good for me!

[Cameront9]

Given the extremely negative reaction from the Press and from users, I wouldn't call this move surprising at all.

Heck, I'd completely forgotten about the product until this story remineded me.

[madmaxmedia]

Good job. Because before today, I guess multiple, inconsistent user experiences was their goal. WTF?

[Taylor C]

Definitely not surprising. The Foleo was a ridiculous product in my opinion, it was just unnecessary.

[nsbio]

How long did it take them to figure it out??? The Palm CEO is an exceptionally smart guy, having authored a must-read book ("On Intelligence"), yet at the same time makes dumb moves, releasing a ridiculous product befitting an idiot. Being smart and an idiot aren't mutually exlusive things after all....

[DaveLG526]

This was a good decision. It is fortunate in hind sight that there was an incompatibility between the two OS systems that delayed introduction. Killing a bad product before market introduction takes some courage but it is less costly and embarrassing to face the music rather than having the market force a decision after introduction.

Right now PALM seems to still have no clear path.

[majordude]

A mini-laptop with a fat Treo phone?!

What the hell were they thinking?!

Foleo? It's more like Fooleo.

Besides, Palm is so 1998.

[zap2]

Wow....Palms got balls!!

I'm very impressed with Palm........to show they listen to the core users.


As much as Apple rocks, they would never do listen to the fans, before something was out.

[Black Belt]

Oh my god, it looks like Jeff Hawkins finally came to after I beat him up in the alley behind Palm Central. Now if they'll wise up and fix the rest of their problems we'll be much happier.

[Luis]

It seems they took Engadget's letter seriously!

[motulist]

The Foleo was such a bad idea from its very conception that it makes me wonder how the person who came up with the idea didn't get fired on the spot just for suggesting such an awful product.

[trevorlsciact]

My guess: they never planed on releasing it.

[Mgkwho]

Haha, watch Apple come out with a wireless, mini display at MacWorld.

That would be hilarious.

And stupid. At this time.

-=|Mgkwho

[belovedmonster]

In Palm HQ what Engadget says goes.

[Black Belt]

Originally Posted by majordude

A mini-laptop with a fat Treo phone?!

What the hell were they thinking?!

Foleo? It's more like Fooleo.

Besides, Palm is so 1998.

FOOLeo, did you just think that one up

Palm is very dated but they did kick Apple's arse before and then went on to invent the smartphone. If they ever come back to their senses and produce something for the 21st century they could be back to kick some more arse. Of course Jeff knows what's coming in the alley if he doesn't wise up.

[MacPhilosopher]

I remember being excited about the possibilities of a new palm product only to be so disappointed in this backward step. There was so much potential for foleo and so little actuality. They deserve to lose their jobs over that lame product. The CEO should be embarrassed. Even without the iPhone, this piece of garbage was doomed. Once the iPhone was introduced, it pretty much cast the foleo i=on the junk pile. It is even more of an embarrassment when you realize that the iPhone was not even aimed at that market. It was the glaring lack of innovation in the foleo when other products were jumping so far ahead that really overshadowed palm. I would not expect anything competitive from palm for several years. Thats right, several years.

[propynyl]

well done palm...definitly the right move, that thing made me loose so much faith in palm, I sold my Treo and bought an iPhone...the iPhone is the future, palm is the past.

[SthrnCmfrtr]

Originally Posted by trevorlsciact

My guess: they never planed on releasing it.

Eh? Why would they do that? Granted, Palm's made some boneheaded moves, but spending $10 million on something and announcing it but not planning on releasing it?

[macintel4me]

That Foleo thing is just a bad idea. Who would want to carry around a small laptop to make a phone call and get on the internet. That thing was, is and will be a failure. At least they only wasted $10M. In saying that I can't see the CEO lasting much longer given such poor vision and strategy.

[flopticalcube]

Boy that's one messed up company. Bad idea from the get go.

[plumbingandtech]

That.
Is.
Comedy.