Comments on: A Round of Layoffs at Palm

New Palm Inc Logo(Updated, with confirmation statement)
PalmInfocenter has received a couple of unconfirmed reports that Palm Inc. has had a round of layoffs this week. One report from a reliable source claims as many as 200 people were let go from the US team on Thursday. Most of the cuts are claimed to be in the sales and marketing departments. Sources also postulate that Palm will be closing some offices in Europe and Asia as well.

The news comes during a rather rough week for Palm's stock and the US stock market in general. Shares in Palm closed at a new all time low over continued uncertainly about the general economy and Palm's long planned turnaround. The last major round of layoffs came around this time last year when around 250 people were cut. Palm's last reported head count in August was around 1,050 employees.

Return to Story - Permalink

Article Comments

 (47 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Start a new Comment Down

200 folks is a lotta folks for a dinky company

SeldomVisitor @ 11/21/2008 4:58:43 AM # Q
The rumor I read (over on Yahoo) was a massive B2B hit - that in and of itself would be fairly telling.

Palm aiming strictly at consumer side toward the future(*)?

=======

(*) No, that "future" isn't facetious!

More to come (go) today?
SeldomVisitor @ 11/21/2008 9:37:56 AM # Q
I don't know this poster, but "he" says with conviction:

- http://tinyurl.com/unkownveracity

This particular poster has posted some slightly-insider-knowledge posts before like this:

- http://tinyurl.com/insiderespp

so I would at the very least SLIGHTLY trust his rumor-du-jour about TODAY'S layoffs...

Reply to this comment

Ed Colligan

wildmantrader @ 11/21/2008 6:49:44 AM # Q
Hopefully he was one of the 200 and if he wasn't EP needs to make it 201 by walking Ed out the door.
Reply to this comment

Better start the Hype Machine, Palm

mikecane @ 11/21/2008 8:10:44 AM # Q
Time to start betting the farm by leaking Nova crap.

January is CES. You don't have til then to get some buzz going.

RE: Better start the Hype Machine, Palm
SeldomVisitor @ 11/21/2008 8:19:54 AM # Q
From about 5 months ago...

== "...Well, the only milestones that we've set out is to finish up
== the platform towards the end of this year and then deliver
== products in the first half of '09 and that's - those are the
== big milestones. I expect, you know, relative to the developer
== community and so forth, you might start to see some buzz but
== I can't predict any of that..."

- http://tinyurl.com/palmoldtrans

SO I guess we wait for that developer (...) to start leaking things, huh?

RE: Better start the Hype Machine, Palm
dagwud @ 11/21/2008 9:59:28 AM # Q
My thoughts exactly. I find my TX to be useful, but it could be better. I miss the svelt feeling of my Vx or M515. Palm needs to give me some reason to hold out until they deliver, because I'm itchin' to upgrade and they're not currently in consideration.

-
PalmPilot Pro (1997) -> III (1998) -> Vx (1999) -> m500 (2001) -> m515 (2002) -> Tx (2007)
Reply to this comment

One layoff I want

mikecane @ 11/21/2008 8:11:41 AM # Q
That punk-ass who posted here at PIC that Palm laughs at power users. Die in a cardboard box, pal.

RE: One layoff I want
joad @ 11/21/2008 11:44:28 AM # Q
You're kidding, right?

This couldn't have anything to do with Palm spending all their time valiantly trying to fix Windoze Mobile for Microsoft, underwhelmingly supporting the Treo for years, falling asleep at the wheel with PalmOS's replacement, and dumping a load of Centro playthings on the market for next to nothing. Power users have been told to go away for years, many have reluctantly gone to the iPhone and Blackberry and HTC Mogol designs because they have this nasty affinity for progression and not regression.


Palm is probably going through what the american automakers have seen. The rank and file have innovative and creative ideas, as well as honest views of the problems and how to fix them. But management tells them to shut up and "just do your job," which is to keep producing only gas guzzlers or new colors of Centros. Meanwhile, the bigwigs fly around on private jets and bathe in their own brilliance.


Paying my annual PDA update tax to Palm since 1997.

RE: One layoff I want
mikecane @ 11/21/2008 12:37:46 PM # Q
No, I'm not kidding. And if someone does find the SOB dead in a cardboard box, email me a picture and I'll make it my PC's wallpaper!

RE: One layoff I want
LiveFaith @ 11/23/2008 3:52:49 PM # Q
Mercy!

Pat Horne
RE: One layoff I want
mikecane @ 11/25/2008 5:36:18 AM # Q
Not mercy for that smug bastard! And I hope his cardboard box is bed-beg infested too!

Reply to this comment

Palm was ahead of AIG, too

hgoldner @ 11/21/2008 9:53:35 AM # Q
Some may recall that on Palm's 'official blog' a few months ago, they chattered away about getting manicures and pedicures during the roll-out of one of the Centro's in NYC. Here's the link to their 10/14/08 post: http://blog.palm.com/palm/2008/10/to-celebrate-th.html

They provide for comments on their blog, and I was extremely critical of them frittering away their time on freakin' manicures and pedicures when they could be working on, oh, say, the next Palm OS? Surprise, surprise, they refused to post that comment.

Now the pigeons are coming home to roost. Last conversation I had with tech support at Palm (in May of this year) closed with my commenting, "better polish of your resume, pal."

I still love Garnet; and I'm mostly happy with my Treo 755p. Already have one in a drawer against the day with this one dies an untimely death. Might end up being like those folks I know still nursing Palm V and Vx's along, if Palm fails to pull out of the so-called 'years in the desert' (so-called by Mike & Dieter at Treocentral).

Harold



RE: Palm was ahead of AIG, too
joad @ 11/21/2008 11:50:50 AM # Q
Palm has been run like a kindergarten for years. Why else would their proudest achievements on the Palmfront the past year be coloring a Centro Olive Green? Probably many of those finely manicured hands are giving that Centro to mommy so she can put it up on the refrigerator.

Hope Palm can pull off a real "hail Mary" and bring out a relatively bug-free Nova very, very soon. I can't believe that I've been fantasizing about buying another WinceMob device again and trying to find a way to stomach it in the very likely event that Palm screws their final pooch.


Paying my annual PDA update tax to Palm since 1997.

RE: Palm was ahead of AIG, too
LiveFaith @ 11/23/2008 3:56:42 PM # Q
>>> the very likely event that Palm screws their final pooch.

Spoken with true insight. Palm's mgmt issues probably come from all the leaders spending time in University business schools across the nation training our next generation. Only slightly less sad than the experts who run our government.

Pat Horne

RE: Palm was ahead of AIG, too
joad @ 11/25/2008 8:56:08 AM # Q
>the leaders spending time in University business schools across the nation training our next generation. Only slightly less sad than the experts who run our government.

It's all a revolving door between Business and Government. Door whirls so fast they can't seem to remember the difference between what constituency they are accountable to when they change offices.


Paying my annual PDA update tax to Palm since 1997.

RE: Palm was ahead of AIG, too
PacManFoo @ 11/25/2008 9:20:32 AM # Q
Joad,

From your signature I would assume that Palm's new motto is No New Taxes!

The last known classic PDA user.

Reply to this comment

Confirmed with PR-Fluff

hkklife @ 11/21/2008 11:31:24 AM # Q
The official PR-fluff (love that term!) has now been confirmed & is here on TreoCentral:

http://treocentral.com/content/Stories/2205-1.htm

One notable excerpt:
"The global economic downturn continues to dampen demand for consumer goods around the world, and the impact on the economic environment is worsened by our maturing Centro line and the length of time it is taking to ramp our new Windows Mobile products. The restructuring will result in company reductions in the U.S. and internationally, and our goal is to consolidate resources behind fewer programs to focus our efforts more effectively"


A likely translation from Palm-speak:

"We're really worried what $199 BB Stroms & $199 iPhones are going to do to our remaining Treo sales. Centro sales to the teenyboppers have absolutely fallen off a cliff but we're hoping a fresh round of new colors and some new Palm-branded cases will resuscitate the line. We also didn't count on AT&T shooting down the Treo Pro and Verizon taking a pass on both the 800w and the CDMA Treo Pro.

As always, our goal is not to do any serious work on Nova but instead to hoard as much cash as possible and try to stay afloat until we find a sucker to buy the company. We hope to be able to do this with a skelton crew of employees in Sunnyvale as we furiously churn out new Centro colors and work on an updated Facebook app. And, one more thing....Rubinstein has left the building"



Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
Gekko @ 11/21/2008 11:47:12 AM # Q
RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
joad @ 11/21/2008 11:52:12 AM # Q
Oooh, "rain" colored Centros!!! Love it, baby!


Paying my annual PDA update tax to Palm since 1997.
RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
SeldomVisitor @ 11/21/2008 12:43:30 PM # Q
I wonder if they'll slip the "Nova" date.

They have about a month - or much less if everyone considers that date "material' - to do so.


RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
PacManFoo @ 11/21/2008 12:55:28 PM # Q
Got a chance to view the bosses G1 Google Phone today. Palm's Dead. Seriously, between the iPhone and Google phone why would anyone pick a Palm? If you are stuck in the 90's I guess Palm is for you. Maybe they can bundle some 90's music with the Centro. It's really just time for Palm to turn out the lights and lock the doors. It reminds me of a great athlete who doesn't know when it's time to retire and now is just embarrassing himself.
Colligan can maybe hook up with one of the big 3 auto makers and help pick out new colors to paint on the crap they put out as well.


The last known classic PDA user.
I've recently upgraded from a PLAM TX to a Newton MP2000!
http://newtonpda.googlepages.com

RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
rcartwright @ 11/21/2008 5:18:10 PM # Q
PacManFoo. I agree that Android has promise, but from what I have got from playing with a G1 I do not think its at all ready for prime time. No doubt that Palm has to step up its game in a big way and leak the f*#$ out of Nova or the game will be over be the first half of 09. If it is not already.

"Many men stumble across the truth, but most manage to pick themselves up
and continue as if nothing had happened."
- Winston Churchill
RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
mikecane @ 11/23/2008 12:54:13 PM # Q
I've only been able to molest a demo model (ie, pasted-on faux screen).

Man, that slider is crap.

So is the keyboard.

The entire thing has a cheap 99-cent store feel to it.

I've seen in passing online people talking about the inconsistent UI. Eh. Give the BeOSers some sharp knives and let the best UI group win.

Attn: Mike Cane-Have you fondled a Storm yet? Impressions?
hkklife @ 11/25/2008 11:48:31 AM # Q
To borrow a term from you, this one gets my EPIC FAIL of the year award for "best hardware ruined by a rotten OS/UI". Have you had the chonce to play with one yet?

Might this finally be THE converged device to replace your LifeDrive + Nokia Tracfone combo?

It's looking more and more like I might have to award my (shared) mobile hardware design of the year award to the MSI Wind + EEE 1000/1002 since neither the PSP 3000 or the 2nd-gen Sony Reader PRS-700BC were all that I was hoping they would be.

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: Confirmed with PR-Fluff
mikecane @ 11/25/2008 12:20:29 PM # Q
I have absolutely zero interest in the BerryStorm and would refuse to fondle one if given the chance.

Someone I have the misfortune to know just bought a Berry (not Storm) and *I* had to figure out HTF to set the Date and Time on it! What dropout from Microsoft designed that UI? Or is the UI like some sort of frikkin Secret Masonic Handshake tuned to the skewed brain frequencies of The Suit Hive Mind?

Reply to this comment

Should Palm get inline for a bailout?

Tuckermaclain @ 11/21/2008 11:44:20 AM # Q
Probably the only way to fix the company. Hire some newly unemployed engineers and get working on Nova.

I have a feeling the get Plam I will see is the Hanna Montana edition Centro with a built-in LED flashlight and a hip new color.

RE: Should Palm get inline for a bailout?
joad @ 11/21/2008 11:53:16 AM # Q
Someone's violating their NDA!!!


Paying my annual PDA update tax to Palm since 1997.
RE: Should Palm get inline for a bailout?
Poopie @ 11/21/2008 3:04:35 PM # Q
Palm - here's my royalty-free PRODUCT IDEA bailout for you:

- All-Chrome Centro
- Woodgrain Eddie Bauer edition Centro with a Car charger and 1300mA battery
- Shrink the Centro to 'candybar phone' size. Replace keyboard with T9 input.
- Bedazzled Centro with collection of 100 hip-hop ringtones
- Centro watch - Dick Tracy model
- Centro pet phone - put one on your dog's collar. Train your dog to be able to bark and call you using voice dialing. Talk to your dog while you're at work. Track your dog with the pet phone's built-in GPS
- Centro intercom - put a centro in every room on the wall - use speakerphone and voice dialing to enable home intercom
- Centro bird toy - run mirror app on your centro and let your bird be amazed by it. BONUS: Bird gets to pick at the keyboard buttons. Double Bonus: Train your bird to send SMS messages
- Centro action walkie talkie set - blister pack two of them together - one Green, one Rose - sell them in REI.
- Centro standalone webcam - record video, stills and upload them to the web.
- Centro baby monitor - large white plastic centro with camera on the front allows doting parents to videoconference with baby.

More ideas here: http://tinyurl.com/1nnov8e

Reply to this comment

How sunk is Palm REALLY?

mikecane @ 11/21/2008 12:41:07 PM # Q
So sunk that I wouldn't even waste time mocking it on my blog.

However, if they drop dead before 12/31/08 (the drop dead date of my blog), I'd gladly do a "I Dance And Spit On Your Grave" post!

Reply to this comment

An irony I could not bear

mikecane @ 11/21/2008 12:41:58 PM # Q
2009:

- Palm drops dead

- ACCESS is actually on shipping phones



Reply to this comment

Has the timeline changed, too?

SeldomVisitor @ 11/22/2008 3:43:10 PM # Q
== "...[Spokeswoman Lynn Fox] said the OS is on track to be released
== this year, and the device in the second half of 2009..."

- http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081122/tc_nm/us_palm_layoffs_1

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
Gekko @ 11/22/2008 4:06:35 PM # Q

Palm OS II Devices on Track for Release in Early 2009
BY: Ed Hardy, Brighthand.com Editor
PUBLISHED: 1/14/2008

According to Stephane Maes, VP Smartphone Product Marketing, Palm expects to finish work on this operating system late in 2008, and around that same time will begin distributing the tools developers need to create applications, or check compatibility of their current ones, for this new operating system. Naturally, those who are writing the software that will be bundled with the first model will get access to the SDKs well before the general public.

Palm plans to have the first devices running this operating system out early in 2009. Maes says that wireless carriers are already expressing strong interest in Palm OS II - though he didn't call it that. According to rumor, the internal code-name for this platform is "Nova," but Palm itself hasn't revealed the official name.

http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13672

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
Gekko @ 11/22/2008 4:10:51 PM # Q
>Posted on Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:48PM EST - Fox said the OS is on track to be released this year, and the device in the second half of 2009.

anyone want to bet on 12-31-09? if it wasn't so tragic, it'd be comical.



RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
SeldomVisitor @ 11/23/2008 3:41:12 AM # Q
The other part of that "Fox" quote I personally consider to be significant as well, though intimately dissecting a Me-Too Media retelling of a marketing person's words is somewhat hazardous...:

== "...the device..."

All along I'd hoped for a plethora of deviceS all communicating merrily with each other without human interaction.

Dreamer!

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
hkklife @ 11/23/2008 8:37:40 AM # Q
IF Nova makes it onto a shipping device and IF Palm manages to avoid the grim reaper long enough, I predict the first Nova device will be...a respun version of the CDMA Treo Pro targeted squarely at Prosumers, have a 320x320 LCD screen, will debut on Sprint for $299ish w/ contract, and won't hit the market until late October/Nov/early Dec '09.

In other words, entirely too little, too late, for too much and on the wrong carrier.

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
SeldomVisitor @ 11/23/2008 11:21:39 AM # Q
The Me-Too Media article has been corrected:

== "(In Nov. 21 story headlined ... "Palm cutting jobs as
== competition intensifies", corrects graph 5 to reflect
== that device is expected to be released in first half of 2009)"

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
mikecane @ 11/23/2008 12:52:15 PM # Q
First half of 2009...

... has CES published an Exhibitors List yet? Is Palm on it?

Well, does it really matter? Whatever Steve Jobs announces at MacWorld Expo will once again drain all the light away from CES ... like a black hole!

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
SeldomVisitor @ 11/23/2008 3:20:56 PM # Q
> First half of 2009...
>
> ... has CES published an Exhibitors List yet? Is Palm on it?...

http://myces.bdmetrics.com/CDT-5776781/Palm-Inc-/Details.aspx

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
Ryan @ 11/23/2008 4:47:31 PM # Q
Looks like they have just signed up for a private meeting room from that, not actual floor space. Palm hasn't been on the floor of CES in well over 5-6 years at least.
RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
Gekko @ 11/23/2008 5:31:55 PM # Q

of course they haven't. WTF are they going to show up with? 2003 technology? based on this crew's track record, don't hold your breath for anything.

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
SeldomVisitor @ 11/24/2008 4:56:49 AM # Q
The "booth" is on the 2nd floor but the floor diagram suggests it's large and tall.

Didn't Palm have some sort of outdoor (or something) "booth" that was indeed just a meeting room setup a show or two ago?

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
LiveFaith @ 11/24/2008 5:32:44 PM # Q
>>> All along I'd hoped for a plethora of deviceS all communicating merrily with each other without human interaction.

I thot ET was banned?

Pat Horne

RE: Has the timeline changed, too?
mikecane @ 11/25/2008 5:39:16 AM # Q
They will show off their latest innovation: DuoTone(TM)-colored Centros.

Basically, front of one color, back of another.

Hey, they had to do *something* with the extra color shells!

Reply to this comment

Time is proving me right.

VampireLestat @ 11/24/2008 2:58:37 AM # Q
I just stumbled upon PIC and saw this thread.
I am not even going to read all the comments. Shows how much I care now about Palm.

This is what happens to a company when the split the hardware and OS divisions.
The adoption of Windows Mobile and the abandoning of handhelds were vicious backstabbings to loyal consumers. Ed Colligan gutted Palm OS, the developers and the entire 'Palm economy'.

I still use my Tungsten T5 heavily on a daily basis for PIM and MP3s.
I still use my Treo 680 but after a year of use I have come to realize that I still prefer grafiti for writing; go figure.

I will check back again in 2020 when Palm Nova is released. But quite frankly, as long as Palm remains a WM wh**e, my interest is all but nonexistent because I know that Nova will always been treated as 2nd class and wont give Palm's undivided attention and R&D resources.

RE: Time is proving me right.
LiveFaith @ 11/24/2008 5:36:24 PM # Q
We need a bailout! The future of our children is at stake!

Pat Horne
Reply to this comment

The end of Palm is beginning

Carl Yankowski @ 1/6/2009 10:48:15 PM # Q

http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/1505207.html


Company Name Location County Employees Affected Layoff Date

Palm, Inc Sunnyvale Santa Clara 107 19-Jan-09

Reply to this comment
Start a New Comment Thread Top

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: