iPhone........watch out!

almillar

Sorry, but as I said in my last post, the Pre is the same cost/tariff as the iPhone 3G, NOT 3GS - so please stop comparing it to the 3GS, which costs significantly more.
And please don't compare a SIM free Pre in Expansys to a PAYG iPhone. You know that the PAYG one is subsidised and locked by the network, totally unfair comparison. Here's another one, my wife's Pre cost £260 off eBay.
What I want to know is why people are so keen to say Palm are going to fail? Are you trying to be the first to say it? You're way too late. Are you going to brag if you turn out to be right? People say there are too many OSs. I count Symbian, Maemo, Blackberry, iPhone, Android, WebOS and, lets say Windows Mobile 7 to be the main ones this year. People say that's too many, these people are ignoring that the smartphone market is (finally) exploding. With Apps being so cheap and easy to write and distribute, the cost of maintaining a platform is lower, and just because Palm has 1/10th the number of fart apps the iPhone has, doesn't make it a worse phone. How many apps did the iPhone have after a year? Are we forgetting about all the PalmOS developers?

stugib

almillar wrote: »

What I want to know is why people are so keen to say Palm are going to fail?

To be fair the topic only came up because of yet another "this'll knock the iPhone off its perch" thread. Why everything has to be an 'iPhone killer' and the like bemuses me - if people are happy with what they've got why the need to go and tell everyone it's better than what they've got. As you said, the market is big enough for several platforms, but my view, even as a previous long-term Palm user (8 years, 5 devices and hundreds of £s spent on applications!), is that they missed the boat.

gjchester

almillar wrote: »

Sorry, but as I said in my last post, the Pre is the same cost/tariff as the iPhone 3G, NOT 3GS - so please stop comparing it to the 3GS, which costs significantly more.
And please don't compare a SIM free Pre in Expansys to a PAYG iPhone. You know that the PAYG one is subsidised and locked by the network, totally unfair comparison. Here's another one, my wife's Pre cost £260 off eBay.

The Pre is £200 on a £30 PCM 18 month Contract, £100 on a £35 PCM 18M contract, its free on a £40 + tarrifs
The 16GB 3GS is £179 on a £30 PCM 18 month Contract, £149 on a £35 PCM 18M contract, only becomes free on a £50Tarrif
The 8GB 3G is £99 on a £30 PCM 18 month Contract, £59 on a £35 PCM 18M contract, and free on all £40 + tarrifs.

The Pre is MORE than the 3GS on a the basic £30 PCM 18m Contract. The Pre is cheaper on a £35 or £40 or £45 PCM tarrifs.
The 3G is cheaper on ALL tarrifs where there is a charge for the phone itself than the Pre.


I relasie there is a subsidy but the Pre is only avaiable Sim Free or on a monthly contract, so it's hard to compare, I did the best I could. Taking a PAYG iPhone, and putting on the minimum credit and then unlocking it is not the same as sim free but is close cost wise and what most people would do.

almillar wrote: »

How many apps did the iPhone have after a year? Are we forgetting about all the PalmOS developers?

The key is the Apple apps store is big, outthere and tied to every Phone via iTunes and the installed base if big, so if a deveoper wants to sell as many copies as possible he develops for the largest base. Apple has that, Palm does not.

PalmOs and WebOS are different systems, PalmOS apps won't run on WebOS without an emulator. If your going to learn a new code language you learn the one in demand, it may be apps can be ported across, but againg given the small installed base will people do so?

There are some really *GOOD* aspects of WebOS, I really like the idea of it pulling contacts information and conversations together in one unified pane, but I don't see it as beating the combined deep pockets of Apple, Google and Microsoft.

gjchester

I know it's bad to reply to my own posts.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/03/palm_sos/

Another place suggesting the OS is good but the marketting was bad.

almillar

Yep, sorry they've reduced the price of the 3GS - the Pre was exactly the same purchase and contract price as the 3G at launch. The Pre should be cheaper than the 3GS, that I agree with. This is the anti-competitive nature of network exclusive, which of course, the iPhone is no longer part of.
No-one (here) said that the Pre was going to beat the iPhone (that would be ambitious!) but it doesn't have to. iPhone killer simply acknowkedges the iPhone as a benchmark, and attempts to better it.
Let's apply your app store analogy to desktop OSs. Windows PCs have been far bigger than Macs for ages, have had more software available and sold more. Therefore Macs die out, and the iPhone never even comes into existence. Is that what should have happened? Should all the Mac users in the 90s have just given up on their niche devices and bought Windows PCs instead?!

gjchester

almillar wrote: »

Let's apply your app store analogy to desktop OSs. Windows PCs have been far bigger than Macs for ages, have had more software available and sold more. Therefore Macs die out, and the iPhone never even comes into existence. Is that what should have happened? Should all the Mac users in the 90s have just given up on their niche devices and bought Windows PCs instead?!

Not a bad analagy. Palm are like Apple in that way, they got an Early march on techology with the Pilot Organiser then lost their wasy (Like Apple). Apple then came up with a new OS and the iMac and did so-so, and then they came out with the iPod. That got them attention and they capitalised on it by heavily marketting it and really pushing it, (iTunes makes it all work well)
Palm has the niche device, it has a good OS, but it has not got the marketing for it and not got the equivalent of iTunes to force people to it.

How many people had an Ipod and then tried (if not then bought a mac) on the strength of that?

uppleby09

Ooooh he's very angry you know !
When we gonna go out for a bike ride ?

nsabournemouth

if Palm can push the apps then it will be a great ride for Palm.

The way the Palm Pre works is better than the iPhone, the apps are the only thin gthat make the iphone what it is, not the OS and many of the apps on the iPhone may find themselves on the Pre, there are people who want to buy them.

gjchester

nsabournemouth wrote: »

if Palm can push the apps then it will be a great ride for Palm.

Possibly, but the Pre is limping along and will die soon. The WebOs may go on, but not unless they make it open source like Android, otherwwise why would anyone pay to install it. Shades of VHS/Betamax, Sony wanted a royalty for each machine JVC didn't, which took off the one that cost the maker a few yen less.
The other thing is I don't really want an iPhone, but in terms of what they can do both out of the box and with Apps that may well be my next phone as it does all I want.

nsabournemouth wrote: »

The way the Palm Pre works is better than the iPhone, the apps are the only thin gthat make the iphone what it is, not the OS and many of the apps on the iPhone may find themselves on the Pre, there are people who want to buy them.

No I disagree, The iPhone OS is very neat and easy to use, restrictive in places but easy to use. People buy the phone on the strength of the Apps not the OS and most people don't appreicate the difference to a great degree. No-one is likely to buy something on the strength of a coming soon tag from a developer.

Vaporware and coming soon apps are no substitute for being able to buy now. You may not like a fart or boobs app, but they are there (or are till apple cleans up the store) and usually there are a choice of them.

The app store works because they are mainly cheap (less than a few quid) and you don't care if it turns out to be pants, it's cost less than a pint and it it amuses you for a few hours it's paid for itself. I've bought Wii and 360 games for less than a fiver on the "I may like it" grounds and some are unplayed still, if I had to pay £30 for each game I'd make sure I really wanted it.

If Palm can do that they may do well, but again Apple and the networks heavily marketting the App Store, nothing is pushing the Palm either phone or Apps Store

almillar

Marketing? There's an App for that. No actually, there are some enthusiastic Palm fans that have made their own adverts showing what WebOS can do. The Steve Jobs one is hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W52tinKNaQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBbGKwWQedM&feature=youtube_gdata