A Pre in the Palm is worth two in the bush

10-06-2009

by Ralph Averbuch

For all the buzz, Palm needs to make and sell product to survive.

So now Palm knows what it’s up against. Just days after the Palm Pre made it into stores across the USA, Apple has announced the next generation iPhone 3GS. It’s basically much the same as the previous one in looks with a better camera, more on-board memory options, more speed, video and the ability to cut and paste… hmm. But perhaps the big challenge will be that the new handset from Apple will be available very soon and globally. For Palm the challenge won’t necessarily be about drumming up interest, so much as being able to make enough units to supply demand globally. The word is that Palm, for its initial launch in the USA, was only sending small batches of the Pre to its partner phone network Sprint. If true, the danger is that enthusiastic early adopters will not be prepared to wait and simply opt for the new, well-supplied iPhones. Historically Palm’s problem has been that it couldn’t make devices that captured the public imagination and interest. Now that Palm has overcome that hurdle with a device that clearly appears to offer a real challenge to the iPhone and other smart mobiles, it’s vital that it capitalises on this interest by ensuring product’s in stock when punters come to purchase.

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