Comments on: Here's praying that Palm gives Apple a run for its money

Apple needs to respond to customers but, barring that, perhaps Palm's new Pre will prod Apple to innovate a bit faster.

[bhfrankel]

Why does Verizon never get the good stuff first? If I wasn't so deeply entrenched with them, I'd bolt at a moments notice. I'm stuck for at least two years, and then, if they don't have a reasonably priced, bleeding edge phone (lowering the cost would also be nice....), I'm leaving!

[winthropal]

If Apple was so concerned about listening to what competitors have to say, they'd have made the Palm Treo, you reprobate. Besides other phones do have copy and paste, and guess what? People STILL buy the iPhone.

Other "smart" phones also can run multiple apps... guess what? The iPhone is outselling almost all of them too... Yeah. Apple really doesn't have a clue. Unlike you, apparently.

[lazlo13]

typical smug apple apologist.

isn't the point the author was trying to make perfected in your response?

POSIT: apple doesn't listen to their customers... RESPONSE: "we don't have to, we're better than our customers"

ipso facto.

[mrjetsondc]

Another so called "iphone killer." like every other competitor, this will flame out under great expectations.

I have an iphone, and tho not perfect, no one will emulate it anytime soon. The Pre is a fraud and will be exposed as such- a mediocre phone.

[tgwagen]

Why is it a mediocre phone? why is it a fraud? expound a little bit please, don't just throw out useless baseless Twaddle.. have some facts to share? lets have um. don't waste our time and yours with useless commenting just for comments sake.

[timster799]

I agree--what prompted you to say "like every other competitor this will flame out..."??? Haven't you read the news? This phone does perform, it delivers and it gives the user some sorely missing options on the iphone. I think you're just trashing for no reason.

[Ratiks]

For all of you derelicts out there, in plain english ALL the author demands is that apple listen to its consumers. Thats why they created great products, and not havign copy and paste etc makes it LESS user friendly. Even though the missing features dont make it any less compelling, Apple can easily incorporate these features going forward, an action that it itself stands to benefit from. YES, i believe in competition, and YES, i do sincerely wish that a strong competitor challenges Apple. END RESULT: A BETTER IPHONE.

[SeattleConsumer]

People are buying the iPhone for the 'multimedia computing platform' aspects of the device, and taking for granted it will be a good phone. For me anyway, it is the worst phone I've had by far in terms of actual phone usability. I use it mostly in the car (can you say 'mobile phone') and it is dangerous and frustrating to use in that environment. (not to mention the lousy AT&T network) No software updates will solve that problem, it needs more physical buttons. The Pre looks like it will compete well both as a phone and as a multimedia computing platform.

[1974joel]

This Pre looks nice from first glances. The iPhone changed the game, but it wont own the game forever...people will catch up. And with the crappy AT&T network and glaring features missing, I dont think it would take all that much.

[theTomster]

I am REALLY looking forward to buying the Palm Pre. I've waited to upgrade from my current Palm phone, the Samsung i500, to wait to see what Palm brought out next. I was comparing all phones including the iPhone when considering my next purchase, but this phone looks better than the iPhone for my needs. I want a phone that handles info the way the Pre will. I don't think it will be an "iPhone" killer. And who expects an iPhone killer anyway. Only iPhone people talk about this idea really. The rest of us just want more choices, and better smartphones. And we want a removable battery.

It makes me laugh to hear iPhonees say that new phones are iPhone emulators. I wonder if Ford owners showed that same hubris way back when and called other cars made after the model T came out as Model T wannabes or Model T emulators just cause they also had 4 wheels, and a steering wheel, a motor, and a horn. Come on iPhonees, lighten up, the Palm Pre will make the market better. Palm is going to sell millions of these things.

[LinkFlap]

Rabid Apple fans such as (you know who are) are exactly the reason why Apple can get away with intentionally excluding features. Stereo bluetooth for example, why do I have to plug in to listen to music but can use a bluetooth headset for phone conversations. Stereo bluetooth has been common since at least the BlackJack I.

I understand they need to have "new" features to sell new phones, 3G anyone, Whatever happened to putting the best product out there you can and driving innovation. Any company selling you new features that have been available in competing product does not deserve your money.

[alphaomega118]

i'm not sure why everyone complains about at&t all the time. we have sprint, verizon, alltell, plateau, and t-mobile along with at&t in our area and at&t's service blows the other away. coverage area is far greater and reliability within the city as well as without surpasses every other carrier. and since when did "mobile" have anything to do with a phone working in the car? i'm pretty sure it works everywhere you go, so its.. "mobile"

[kit_plummer]

Poor Matt. Unfortunately, the majority of these professional blog commenters have completely missed the point (and exposed their zealot-based ideals). Lest we forget that it was lack of competition that led to the world now known as Microsoft...shame. You can't blame consumers for the iPhone's short-comings - nor can we blame the iPhone for the lack of valid competition. Apple innovates, in material product form, only when it has too. As long as as they lead the markets (media player and smart phone) why should they invest in adding functionality over increasing the market reach?

Although I highly doubt the Pre's advantages will exist for very long it is definitely good to see somebody other than Apple push the edge. RIM completely missed the opportunity to do so...and are now eating it. Unfortunately, Palm's ability to price themselves into relevance is sketchy at best.

If for no other reason than Palm's tanking/dismantling BeOS I do hope the Pre sinks a Titanic death.

[lazlo13]

>>Apple innovates, in material product form, only when it has too.

what is apple... merlin the sorcerer? this is the most embellished BS i've ever read.

the only difference between apple and all the other computers/phones/mp3 players out there is that apple chooses to make all the choices on their devices for their users... which allows them to create a more elegant interface.... not a better device... just a device with some sense that less is more.

lead the market? who are you talking about? RIM is eating it? huh?

have you been licking paint chips?

[PrdAmrican]

My contract is up, and I have been contemplating what new fancy piece of technology I am going to replace it with... Android G1, Blackberry Bold, or a Nokia N97. I am on AT&T (family plan), so I prefer not to switch if possible (AT&T has served me well, and not only are my family on it, but extended family and friends as well). For non-AT&T'rs... its a minutes thing. Up until last week the Bold was the number one contender (I currently use both an 8800 a Treo 650). The Bold is just the ultimate in (non-touch) Blackberries. The G1 is cool because it is OpenSource new. The Nokia, well it has everything... unfortunately is looks to be about $700 and not even coming to the states until who knows when.... and then the Palm Pre was debuted.... wow.... now the only question is whether to just switch to Sprint or wait until I can get one that works on AT&T...

[seven7dust]

Believe me when I say that the N97 will suck !
NOKIA still haven't figured out that software is the future !
they better start using Android soon
or there smartphone market share is going to drop like crazy !

[Mark_Anderson]

No I don't believe you. Outside the US no-one really gives a toss about Android or, to a lrage degree, Apple.

[KarstenSilz]

I agree with the "Copy & Paste" - that a stupid omission. Now a multi-tasking iPhone would surely suck a lot more power than the current single-tasked one (can't be put in power save mode as often), and that would drain the battery even further. So I think that leaving out multi-tasking may have been done to get more battery life (we haven't heard about the Pre battery life).

Given that the iPhone 3G was just a "3G refresh" of the first iPhone, I expect the next one (this June?) to have a lot more changes.

[dchameli]

Don't forget that it was Palm that sunk the original Apple PDA (the Newton) with its Palm Pilot. To accomplish this, Palm embraced simplicity, a sense of style and an affordable product.

[iphonedied]

The iPhone was a poor copy of the Treo 650 - I still use a Treo 650 after trying an iPhone for a little less than a week before it died. The abysmal "support" of Apple caused me to dump the iBrick and go back to the Treo. It's far from perfect, but still better than an iBrick. I've been waiting for an Android or LiMo phone that will cause me to dump the 650. The Pre appears to be a possibility, though because I travel all over the globe, I refuse to go CDMA and will have to wait until the Pre is released on AT&T.

[JayArr8]

I am an avid iPhone user. Except I hate Apple's idiotic refulsal to create an interface from Exchange data to be ported up to Mobile Me, so I can use the data on my iMac email. Totally frustrating.

[seven7dust]

I couldn't have said it better myself !
this will force Apple to include all those requested features
Although the non-removable battery problem won't be solved ever !

It will be intersting to see
how Apple will add multi-tasking to The Iphone

Looks like Competition is finally heating up !
Apple better listen or they r going to end up looking bad !
Arrogance is the only problem with Apple Inc.

[artistjoh]

The battery issue is solved these days. There are various external battery options on the market now - I always keep a small Kensington iPhone battery in my pocket these days, but funnily enough I almost never need it - the iPhone battery is fine for getting through most business days these days. Not true in the earlier versions of the iPhone, but in the latest versions Apple has made great strides in power management and extending battery life.

[christovich79]

The iPhone is great for using while riding a skateboard. "Look at me! I'm flipping through album art and pinching the The Onion! Look at me on Facebook, meeeh!" I know lots of people that own iPhones and a second phone because the iPhone just can't cut it alone. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for iPhone innovations. I thought Apple would make an interesting set of advancements, and now the spartan phone users can use the soft and hard features that Apple engineers slaved to create.

"People STILL buy the iPhone." OK, and people also buy fur coats, but not because their the most function article of clothing.

The Palm Pre is for people that actually work to get a bunch of things done quickly and in a scattered way. Most people I know with iPhones are under 30. The Pre looks good, and, b/c it's from Palm, it'll have all the special sauce that made their devices snappy and simple. People of all ages can grab it and find a place for it in the richness of their lives.

I'm buying it as soon as I can break into the Palm research/development offices. I'll yoink it--I'll leave correct change, of course. Plus an early-adopter fee.

[tpaluchniak]

First, the problem with Dan Lyons is he is so anti-Mac to the point of being silly. Thus, I will disregard his opinion.

Second, people seem to think Apple isn't going to address some of the issues like copy and paste. The company has a development schedule and will most likely address this when it feels it is appropriate. Further, people fail to understand there are issues (e.g. patent concerns) that need to be ironed out before such features can be implemented.

Third, it is ridiculous to suggest Apple doesn't listen to it's customers. Remember listening is different then always agreeing. For instance, people hated the fact Apple left hierarchical menus out of the Dock in Leopard. In an update, Apple addressed that. People hated that Apple so quickly dropped it's price on iPhones, it responded by giving a rebate. OSX originally wasn't going to let people store files on the Desktop, Apple relented to developer feedback. The same thing with Leopard, many people hated some of the design changes in Beta (e.g. the level of transparency in the Windows). Apple corrected many of the issues. Apple originally wasn't going to allow third parties to develop applications on the iPhone, it changed course. Apple originally said it wasn't going to develop an iPod for Windows (and meant it). It changed course after listening to feed back. Developers recently complained because Apple didn't have published guidelines for which applications it would accept or reject, after criticism it published such guidelines. Many customers wanted Apple to drop DRM in iTunes, it responded by publishing a statement by Steve Jobs saying he supported doing so if the record labels would let Apple. Apple recently did just that. Many Apple customers wanted Apple to improve it's environmental efforts, it has responded to those concerns. Not to long ago I had a six year old iBook that I though Apple should fix (for good reason) after it was well out of warranty. After I explained my reasoning to the right people, Apple changed course and fixed my machine free of charge.

In fact, I think Apple listens to people more then most companies. Again, listening and agreeing with are not the same thing. Moreover, implementing some ideas take time, especially if you want to properly test them. Apple also operates on a set development schedule. Major changes to the iPhone probably wouldn't happen to late Spring.

[tpaluchniak]

I will also add that the Palm Pre might be a good phone because it was developed by the same person who oversaw the development of the iPhone, namely John Rubenstein. With that said, I think Palm may be threading on thin ice in terms of violating Apple's patents especially because Palm hired Rubenstein.

People will notice that Palm is the only phone offering such in depth multi-touch features. There is likely a reason for that: Apple has patented the crap out of multi-touch. It also acquired a lot of related patents through it's purchase of Fingerworks. I suspect if the Palm becomes too popular you will see 1) either compensation to Apple, or 2) lawsuits.

[dapacreative]

I'm just glad to see that palm is finally breaking their mold and coming out with something unique. Time will tell if it will be able to compete with iphone.