grit
an ugly force for good
Why's that so amusing to you?
More shocking than amusing.
Palm: Pre, webOS & app discussion
- Thread starter Kid_Eternity
- Start date
More shocking than amusing.
After 4 months? Sell-on value has now being thrown to shit, and for it to go straight to free (not even an embarrassing half-price) suggests to me that the towel is being thrown in. Further implications is the level of service I can expect from being a Pre owner. I also foresee the UK Palm app store to be a shambolic excuse of aquality, as there seems to be little interest in making the Pre a powerhouse smartphone,
editor
hiraethified
There's loads of excellent apps in the soon-come full Palm store, and there's always the chance that any phone you buy early will become free later. That's just how it works.
Palm's UK support is fucking shite though. Shockingly shite. I was very happy with my Pre - in several departments it thoroughly out-performs the iPhone - but their tech support was so bad I threw in the towel.
grit
an ugly force for good
True but it was extremely quick for the pre to go free with any contract. That said the resale value of any phone is shit, often not even worth considering if its tied to a subsidized contract.
editor
hiraethified
It's been on sale for nearly six months, so it's not that unusual for the price to drop. I never really consider the 'resale' value on my phones because I don't expect it to be too hot after 18 months.
editor
hiraethified
The UK Palm catalogue is about to grow considerably larger with the paid app store kicking in on March 31st.
http://www.precentral.net/paid-app-catalog-going-international-march-31st
http://www.precentral.net/paid-app-catalog-going-international-march-31st
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Isn't this really too little too late?
editor
hiraethified
Well, I woud have been happy with the news if I still had my Pre.
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Kinda my thinking and unless the Ed can convince 500,000 people to go buy a Pre and start paying for apps it's not going to make much difference at this point.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
g force
Affects Shatner's Basoon
I think it's doubly fucked when a Palm advocate such as Ed, a guy who knows his technology etc gives up on it and switches to an iphone. I wonder how many consumers go in to a shop take one looik, hold it and think "nah i'll take the BlackBerry for free" or "for £50 I can get an iphone".
It's sad because the potential is huge but the Pre is a beta product.
It's sad because the potential is huge but the Pre is a beta product.
editor
hiraethified
I think that's a bit harsh. Loads of people are enjoying the Pre and the Pixi, and the webOS is far superior to the iPhone's OS. UK support is dreadful though and that's what made me switch.
This guy loves his Pre so much, he's gone out and made his own advert - and it's better than the original Palm ones!
http://www.wirefresh.com/fan-makes-palm-pre-video-improves-on-original/
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Loads of people isn't really a number, and it sure as hell isn't enough to save Palm. People going into an O2 shop aren't likely to buy the Pre now and releasing a new version isn't going to do much.
The only hope for Palm is a buy out from a company with far deeper pockets than it has.
elbows
Well-Known Member
Im genuinely interested in how popular they are in the USA - I know the Palm brand had more love there in the past, but Im not exactly falling over people on the web who are gushing over WebOS - yes there were plenty of positive reviews but if you know of any communities I can find with people dancing with joy about WebOS then Id appreciate a link.
From what I have read from some quarters it doesnt sound like its only the UK operation which has some shambolic features, some people who were organising a big developers meetup for the Pre launch got very disheartened by how they were dealt with by Palm, but its hard to tell how much of that was their own fault.
Im also interested in how much the networks/stores are getting behind the Pre in the USA, Im not certain that O2s lack of effort is unique.
From what I have read from some quarters it doesnt sound like its only the UK operation which has some shambolic features, some people who were organising a big developers meetup for the Pre launch got very disheartened by how they were dealt with by Palm, but its hard to tell how much of that was their own fault.
Im also interested in how much the networks/stores are getting behind the Pre in the USA, Im not certain that O2s lack of effort is unique.
grit
an ugly force for good
It was a flop in the states as well, everyone thinks they are going down.
elbows
Well-Known Member
OK Ive done some research of my own. Plenty of people who want it to do well, who like some things about webos. Plenty of complaints about build quality & support in the USA. Looks like the marketing has been lousy there too, and they have had issues with getting the carriers to promote it properly - not sure what the reasons are but maybe they just havent learnt how to team up with carriers properly, which could be fatal on its own let alone with the other problems. Complaints about app quantity, quality, lack of free apps.
Its a big shame - I want there to be multiple successful platforms at this stage in the mobile game, and some of the development stuff for webos looks quite good, albeit with some big omissions - apparently there is no microphone API which prevents apps using that, which rules out a few categories of apps for now.
Its a big shame - I want there to be multiple successful platforms at this stage in the mobile game, and some of the development stuff for webos looks quite good, albeit with some big omissions - apparently there is no microphone API which prevents apps using that, which rules out a few categories of apps for now.
editor
hiraethified
Palm own an absolute killer OS - there's nothing as good anywhere - but they've shot themselves in the foot with poor management, weird advertising, and occasional quality control issues. Their UK launch was a comedy of errors, as I reported on wirefresh: http://www.wirefresh.com/palm-pre-why-it-failed-in-the-uk/
elbows
Well-Known Member
Yeah ive followed your analysis of the Uk situation, was just trying to get a wider sense.
Anyway the other big problem they now have is perception of their possible failure will affect potential sales, people not wanting to end up with a dead duck, which will further compound Palms woes.
Having a good OS is not enough to save them now, they have to do something very special to get back on track, Im struggling to imagine how they will pull it off. Maybe they can stick with it and slowly get somewhere but Id be more inclined to expect a fairly rapid demise, especially if they cant shift the stock thats already out there.
Anyway the other big problem they now have is perception of their possible failure will affect potential sales, people not wanting to end up with a dead duck, which will further compound Palms woes.
Having a good OS is not enough to save them now, they have to do something very special to get back on track, Im struggling to imagine how they will pull it off. Maybe they can stick with it and slowly get somewhere but Id be more inclined to expect a fairly rapid demise, especially if they cant shift the stock thats already out there.
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
editor said:
It's indicative of a wider problem, you can't sell to one Market and expect to survive in this day and age. Like I said Palm's only hope now is to get bought out.
No amount of hope or crap fan adverts is going to save them.
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Poor deluded fool... 
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
editor
hiraethified
o2 have to take a lot of the blame for the low sales of the Pre in the UK.
Why the fuck they took it on when it's clear they have little or no interest in promoting the thing is anyone's guess.
Maybe it was a strategic thing to stop other networks getting it?
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
It's true O2 have been terrible for Palm but Palm haven't done much for themselves either.
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
Totally. Their advertising and Telefonics's general ad is that they are 'the home of the smart phone' and with the only genuine challenger to the iPhone tucked in there, well they are aren't they.
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