Palm trying to 1-up Apple's [potential] iPhone Release?

[patrickdunn]

This is shooting through the internet. I found it at BoyGeniusReport.com:

"Internal Palm memo may reveal Pre launch timing"

So if they release on Sunday June 7th, this will be one day before the **potential** 3rd Generation iPhone unveiling.

Who do you think this would benefit the most? Apple/AT&T or Palm/Sprint?

 

[maflynn]

Smart move on their part.

The question is, will people be willing to jump over to sprint which is hemorrhaging customers at an alarming rate, and what price point will they sell these puppies. Just making it, will not be enough they need to sell them lower then the iPhone.

 

[The General]

The Palm Pre is going to be flop city. People will buy it, but more than half will return it and get an iPhone.

Sometimes you don't realize how good you've got it until you lose it. At least, that's how it was with me when I decided to switch to T-Mobile and the G1.

Service sucked, phone sucked harder. I returned it and bought another iPhone. I couldn't handle it any longer.

 

[t0mat0]

Will be interesting to see what happens at allthingsd this year May 26-28

- see what Mike Lazaridis, president and co-chief executive officer of RIM, & Roger McNamee, MD of Elevation Partners, alongside Jon Rubinstein, executive chairman of Palm about this, and Apple.

Randall Stephenson, chairman, CEO & President of AT&T to defend...

What exactly would the return policy be on the Pre? Have they left it so late, that you could get out of a contract in its grace period at the start, if you like what Apple might say a week or so after?

 

[maflynn]

The Palm Pre is going to be flop city. People will buy it, but more than half will return it and get an iPhone.

That assessment could easily be made for the blackberry storm because it was/is an awful device but from what I've read the palm pre itself looks pretty slick and has features that potentially could give apple a run for the money. Having it on sprint is a HUGE mistake and that more then anything could spell the doom of the phone (and the company)

 

[Chaszmyr]

Smart move on their part.

I disagree. The Pre has been getting a lot of attention from the media while there hasn't been much new to report on the iPhone front, but if they try to release a day before the iPhone they'll get exactly one day of media attention before everyone starts talking about the new iPhone.

 

[randomusername]

This is a horrible idea. Remember when Samsung announced the Omnia the same day as the iPhone 3G? Most people don't. When the 3rd generation iPhone is announced the media will be all over that because that's what the general public wants. Who wants to know about the Pre? You have a big story about the phone everyone wants or talk about a dying company few people care about? Sprint really needs to get people talking about this devce and they're doing a horrible job about it. I hear people talking about this device, saying that it's huge and everyone's talking about it. But that's on the Internet. And they're talking about people on the Internet. Outside of the web, few people actually know what the Pre is. Out of the people I know, only one person knows what the Pre is, and that's because I told her. Sprint needed to launch this long before the iPhone is announced and they needed to have a huge ad campaign. But they haven't done this and it's probably too late.

Palm and Spring are not going to steal Apple's thunder, they'll just be overshadowed by the hype Apple will create I'm the tech/Internet community and with the general public.

Wrote this on my iPhone, sorry for any major typos.

 

[fireshot91]

Most people realize that the iPhone is this one high-tech device that everybody wants, but thinks it's the most expensive phone in the market. With that thinking, they also think that it has every feature known to man.
So, they will be all excited when the iPhone (Next Gen) is released. They won't see the Pre because of all the hype of the iPhone.

 

[nick9191]

Right, so it gets one day of "buzz" before being pushed into the dirt by a new iPhone. Real smart move

 

[patrickdunn]

They won't see the Pre because of all the hype of the iPhone.

Scenario 2: Imagine if Padre Job's doesn't release a new iPhone and just releases the OS 3.0. Makes me wonder if people holding their cash (like me) for the *new* iPhone will move towards the Pre. I for one, will not, however I am a Mac nut.

 

[randomusername]

Scenario 2: Imagine if Padre Job's doesn't release a new iPhone and just releases the OS 3.0. Makes me wonder if people holding their cash (like me) for the *new* iPhone will move towards the Pre. I for one, will not, however I am a Mac nut.

That's just a what if. What if the Earth explodes before either phone is released? It's just a what if. And it probably won't happen, just like the possibility of Apple NOT releasing a third generation hardware iPhone. Apple always updates their major products once a year. People expect that from them. It wouldn't make sense not to release a new iPhone because of increasing competition. The iPhone needs it to stay popular. We saw it with the Razr. If you don't bring out something new soon, people will get bored and move on.

Apple always updates their major products once a year. And with such competition, I doubt Apple would think this is the time to give up their tradition.

 

[9822679]

Just because a product is being released a certain date, does not mean a competitor's product is being released as well

honestly your reasoning makes no sense

Funny how you are the only person who keeps repeating this

On May 7, 2009 @ 1:56 pm, patdunn20 Said:

Wow, what timing. The Pre launch will be overshadowed the following day (june 8th) by the NEW iPhone announcement.

 

[clevin]

I think its a smart move on sprint/palm part as well.

This will definitely force a head to head comparison by EVERY media, which will force people to judge the products based on alot of real issues rather than the hype around the apple brand.

In a world filled with apple fallacy, realistic comparison is indeed best thing palm/sprint can ask for. Im sure they will get it this way.

Of course, if pre sucks, then plam can just go home, But I think there is a better than 70% probability that pre will come on top.

After all, you dont get desktop level multi-tasking and non-interruptive multiple workflow on a mobile phone every year, no, make that ever.

 

[John T]

I'm a total Mac fan but I'm also mature enough to think that Palm have made a wise move.

I also wish that some people would stop wittering on about the "New iPhone"! Such comments are totally without foundation - when did Apple say they were launching a new iPhone?

In June, Apple will certainly reinforce their message re. OS 3.0, but don't forget, they do sell other products apart from the iPhone!

In my opinion, it won't do Apple any harm if the Palm Pre turns out to be a worthy competitor. A bit of honest competition never hurt anyone

 

[english06]

I'm a total Mac fan but I'm also mature enough to think that Palm have made a wise move.

I also wish that some people would stop wittering on about the "New iPhone"! Such comments are totally without foundation - when did Apple say they were launching a new iPhone?

In June, Apple will certainly reinforce their message re. OS 3.0, but don't forget, they do sell other products apart from the iPhone!

In my opinion, it won't do Apple any harm if the Palm Pre turns out to be a worthy competitor. A bit of honest competition never hurt anyone

Maybe it will turn into another Pepsi vs. Coke thing.

 

[kas23]

I think this is a big mistake. Palm just doesn't have the name power of Apple. The Apple hype machine is the most powerful in the business - the iPhone is a media darling. They should have released this a little over a month before the iPhone unveiling. This would have caused people to buy many units (most people buy phones that are right in front of them and don't wait for "launches"). After a month is up, all these people would have been locked into their contract without the option to switch over to the new iPhone.

Either way, the best way would have been not to make this an exclusive release. This is one of the reasons the iPhone sales are being held back.

 

[bbplayer5]

Sprint is the only thing that sucks about the phone. What palm was thinking... ill never know.

If this was on AT&T, I might think about it...

 

[QCassidy352]

it would be terribly stupid of Palm to release right before the iphone. They will not steal apple's thunder; their release will be totally eclipsed. The media loves apple and the iphone and palm will be an afterthought if the two coincide.

 

[Michael CM1]

it would be terribly stupid of Palm to release right before the iphone. They will not steal apple's thunder; their release will be totally eclipsed. The media loves apple and the iphone and palm will be an afterthought if the two coincide.

Palm and whoever make the G1 (I seriously can't remember right now) have made serious mistakes with product branding. People know what an iPhone is because Apple has built up the iName nomenclature. You say iPhone, people know what it is. Probably more people know what a BlackBerry is, although they mostly don't know the difference between the Curve, Bold and Storm. These same majorities know what a Palm Pilot is, but have no clue what a Pre is. Same for the G1 (did Apple ever have a G1 processor?). You'd think these companies could brand their products better, but apparently not. Palm Phenom would've probably done a lot better, and G1 is just out there.

 

[maflynn]

This is a horrible idea. Remember when Samsung announced the Omnia the same day as the iPhone 3G?

There's a huge difference between palm and samsung in this case. Palm has been successful in generating a lot of buzz for their phone and trying to beat their competitor to the punch and mitigate apple's announcement to a point could work in their favor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a palm fanboy and I believe either in the short term or long term, they'll shoot themselves in the foot. They have done just that time in and time out. Then there's the mistake of partnering with Sprint on this. If that doesn't spell the doom of the phone I don't know what will. Apart from that, I think the marketing decisions they made, like the timing is a smart move. Will it pay off is another question.

 

[clevin]

it would be terribly stupid of Palm to release right before the iphone. They will not steal apple's thunder; their release will be totally eclipsed. The media loves apple and the iphone and palm will be an afterthought if the two coincide.

I think this is a big mistake. Palm just doesn't have the name power of Apple. The Apple hype machine is the most powerful in the business - the iPhone is a media darling.

Just because apple is media darling, thats why a Pre releasing one day before will 100% generates wide comparisons by EVERY Media.

Thats great for the Pre. I think Palm/sprint is using apple in this way. Can you imagine they getting more spotlight? if they do it alone, they would probably have every media finishing their reports with a sentence like "will it beat iPhone 3.0? we shall wait and see"?

Sure if you think Pre is worthless, then yes, it will be overwhlmed by iPhone's news, but the fact is Pre has been getting non stop positive buzz for months, its all drum up to be a huge comparison, and you think media will just throw it out without a thorough comparison with iPhone?

No, media may love apple, but they aren't stupid, if you think an announcement at WWDC can magically remove the 5 month buzz about the pre, you are just dreaming.

Beauty shot!

 

[SB1]

T-Mobile

The Palm Pre is going to be flop city. People will buy it, but more than half will return it and get an iPhone.

Sometimes you don't realize how good you've got it until you lose it. At least, that's how it was with me when I decided to switch to T-Mobile and the G1.

Service sucked, phone sucked harder. I returned it and bought another iPhone. I couldn't handle it any longer.

Funny you mention this, I did the same thing. T-Mobile was terrible. AT&T is pretty much covered everywhere.

 

[pavvento]

I think it depends on how good the Pre is once released. Palm/Sprint are probably hoping that all of the media attention on the iPhone will to some degree include the Pre in regards to comparisons.

If the Pre in person outperforms the iPhone on paper then they are in for a treat. If it leaves a lot to be desired they'd be dead anyway.

 

[t0mat0]

Just because apple is media darling, thats why a Pre releasing one day before will 100% generates wide comparisons by EVERY Media.

True.

Thats great for the Pre.

Maybe not optimal though - they have to do 2 key things - get new people onto a Palm smartphones instead of a RIM/Nokia/Apple on. And also to convert people from other smartphones to them.


It will be a hardware and software comparison - will 3.0 be better? Will the v3 iPhone's hardware be better? If they are decent journalists, they'll sling the net wider and show weaknesses for both these prospective handsets in comparison to others coming up. RIM's selling more handsets (depending on how you count things), and Nokia sells a shed load more in Europe.

but the fact is Pre has been getting non stop positive buzz for months

Were you around when pull Elevation Partners's co-founder Roger McNamee's comments?
exaggerated predictions of consumer behavior pattern that were withdrawn...

Some angles the press could and have taken:

They've got
- Beleagured Palm
- "If they don't sell well, they're going down"
- Palm as a brand that won't manage to survive the recession
http://247wallst.com/2009/04/15/twelve-major-brands-that-will-disappear/
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/271738/10_things_won_t_survive_recession
- Who is the Pre really for?
- Palm Pre is DOA
- Supplies for Pre woefully low
- Pixie dust won't help Palm
- Palm Pre pricing - what is it? Is it too high?
- Not enough apps?
- "Still haven't found what we're looking for"
- State of play of smartphones - who will survive?
- A Stern warning
- Palm: Q3 Revs Miss; Burning Cash; Seeking More Capital
- Big analysts bet against Palm
- "Does Palm Pre have a chance against iPhone? IMO: No, but it probably doesn't matter"
http://scobleizer.com/2009/03/23/do...gainst-iphone-imo-no-but-it-might-not-matter/
- What if the Palm Pre Bombs?"- "For Palm, some tough acts to follow"
- Palm Pre vs iPhone 3.0: A Feature-by-Feature Comparison
- Too little, too late?
- Sprint: Customer defections continue; Can Palm's Pre reverse the slide?

No, media may love apple,

They love playing both sides I think - makes more copy.

but they aren't stupid, if you think an announcement at WWDC can magically remove the 5 month buzz about the pre, you are just dreaming.

WWDC could simply overwhelm the Pre's buzz. Pre needs a crescendo to when they announce and release. Whether it will get that is another matter.

The Pre has to be able to stand up against a head to head comparison with the next iPhone, not just the current one. Apple can make sure that the news gets out that it's worth at least waiting to hear from WWDC about what they have to go against the Pre. There will be a lot of people who will wait - so the head to head will be crucial. App Store, iTunes, people's current app purchases, iPod - all big positives Pre has to come up against.

Having said all that - From prethinking.com

I was told that the training will be at the store level shortly and that the June 7, 2009, is a possible release date. I was also told to be ready for a 'super' ad blitz unlike any we have seen by Sprint/Palm.

It will be fun to see the dog fight ensue Some of Apple's ads can seem a bit superior/smarmy - so there's scope to go against the iPhone, bearing in mind previous ad campaigns that were *very* expensive, and ultimately futile...
Instinct and Sprint -
TheStreet -
I could see ArsTechnica resuse the headline from this - "Sprint is fighting last year's war."
Nokia -

O2-

"Mr Key said that his firm had calculated that 80 per cent of their 'high-value' customers would want an iPhone, while 40 per cent of high-spending consumers with other operators would be prepared to change networks for the device."
O2's campaign was billed to occur 2 weeks before launch. O2 might even have some news on upgrading it's 3G network -they've been quiet on that front.

 

[clevin]

Some angles the press could and have taken:

They've got
a list
..
.

consider the Pre probably has been talked about for more than a thousand times. Singling out some naysayers isn't difficult. Should we just forgot the whole picture?

3.0 hardware? no, no, no, no, no, no, iPhone's problem right now is software level problem, you can put a C2D in there, it still doesn't have desktop level multitasking, it still interrupt you every time you start a new work flow.

iPhone 3.0 software is there already, sure apple would love to make a iPhone 3.0 that can stand up to pre, but sometimes what they want is just not what they are capable of doing. Wish is easy, make it happen is hard.

All in all, people are putting too much on their faith in apple, "believe" apple can comes up with something better, sorry, realistically, I dont see any hint of apple being able to slim down OSX to push out a dekstop level multitasking on iPhone, may that be 3.0, or 4.0, maybe 6.0....

Of course Pre NEEDs to stand up and comes out on top in such heavyweight head to head comparison, I am just simply believe what I saw from the product, and I have a good idea about apple's original technical engineering capability. Im sure apple's RDF makes many people here believe that apple is much superior in tech engineering than anybody out there, but sorry, my principle criteria indicates that they are technically quite weak.