Survey Shows Palm Demand Lacking

The results of ChangeWave's most recent consumer smartphone research paints a bleak picture for the current webOS market. Their survey of over 4,000 prospective smartphone purchasers, showed poor prospects for the Palm line and uncovered a concerning lack of demand for future devices.

Overall the pollsters found that interest in smartphones is at an all time high with rising numbers of respondents planning on a near term purchase. ChangeWave found is that most of the current demand is being driven by the success of the iPhone and various Android powered HTC devices at the expense of RIM, Palm and Motorola.

On customer satisfaction Palm fared third overall with 34% of current smartphone owners saying they were very satisfied with their device. However this was quite a large margin behind the iPhone, which tallied a 73% very satisfied percentage. Most troubling for Palm was that nearly none of the respondents planned on purchasing a Palm branded phone within the next 90 days, down from just 3% during the first half of the year.

The full results of the survey and analysis can be read at ChangeWave.

Article Comments

 (30 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

Palm - I would be a pallbearer

Dan Georges @ 7/14/2010 10:32:13 AM # Q
When Palm is laid to rest by HP, I will gladly be a pallbearer.

Like the rest of this community, I started my gadget life with early Palm PDAs, and even have recently purchased a Zodiac (in a moment of weakness).

I have fond memories of all the devices I've used, and feel that Palm made really only one or two critical business errors (other than the Foleo) that sealed its fate:

1. No innovation to the OS after version 5
2. WiFi not incorporated into any of the Palm OS smartphones

Rest in peace, Palm.

...
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."

-Einstein

RE: Palm - I would be a pallbearer
jnuneznj @ 7/15/2010 8:58:49 AM # Q
I agree with #1 but #2...

I wouldn't blame Wifi solely on Palm. The carriers were heavily against it! In fact the first phone that had Wifi had it disabled by the carrier (Could have been a Samsung phone on Verizon). Also Wifi will kill your battery.

RE: Palm - I would be a pallbearer
asiayeah @ 7/15/2010 9:04:57 AM # Q
I don't quite get it.

webOS is Palm's delivered innovation after Palm OS. Palm Pre or Palm Pre Plus has built-in wifi.
--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

RE: Palm - I would be a pallbearer
jnuneznj @ 7/15/2010 12:12:07 PM # Q
What's not to get Palm OS 5 was released around 2002 and Palm WebOS 2008? That is too long in this industry.
Reply to this comment

Not surprising

Scotland @ 7/14/2010 2:37:57 PM # Q
There haven't been any new product announcements in 6 months (in January the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus were announced). Palm has new products in the pipeline but Ruby comes from Apple where they keep announcements and leaks on a tight leash. No announcements or rumors (plus no major advertising campaigns given ATT launch is winding down) = minimal mainstream buyer excitement.

All the statements from HP indicate that they are going to increase the investment in Palm and webOS and webOS devices. However, this takes some time to ramp up. I would bet on a new high-end Pre replacement smartphone by end of 4Q (along with major webOS update) and a lot of new devices in 2011. A Palm designed/HP manufactured tablet is probably a given around 4Q 2010 or 1Q2011.

RE: Not surprising
treo007 @ 7/15/2010 11:11:12 AM # Q
I said shortly after the merger announcement that execution would be the key to its success. Execution in getting product to market (such as the Slate, which HP is now already acknowledging won't come until next year at the earliest). With so many brands, devices, and operating systems competing for recognition at this point, it was key that HP take whatever Palm already had in the pipeline and use it's largess to move heaven and earth and speed products to market.

Clearly that is not happening and Palm was purchased for its intellectual property. HP's CEO famously has said exactly that. Web OS will live on (printers not withstanding apparently) in the same way that the iPaq brand has. Which means it's there for the long time devotees, but it doesn't warrant remotely enough market share to warrant real innovation in HP's eyes.

Barring an incredibly visionary and dynamic executive from HP that is connected and respected enough to lobby for the Platform, Web OS will continue to stagnate and become as relevant as most of HP's previous acquisitions.

It's sad. Palm's most recent iteration, that of the Pre and Web OS truly had the capability to provide the best of all worlds in the mobile device world. Palm just lacked the muscle to make that vision a reality, especially in an increasingly cluttered market. While HP certainly has size, they haven't captured the technological zeitgeist since computing took place primarily on the desktop level. I don't see their culture changing just because they purchased the Web OS. They want to integrate that IP into their existing strategy, not make Web OS the platform from which they reinvent themselves.

I always hated the "Palm is dead" crap that has existed since the days of the Microsoft entering the handheld space. To me however, this is as close as it gets to dead (ironically, once the company is a part of technological behemoth such as HP). Palm isn't dead, and it will now never fully 'die' as long as there's a market for mobile devices. Rather it will go into zombie status into the future.

RE: Not surprising
Show @ 7/26/2010 2:13:38 PM # Q
Like it has already been said HP has to come out with new devices and they need to come out with them soon.

Having a new device come out in 4Q won't hurt. They need to have something ready to come out during this years X-Mass rush.

HP needs a device that will be an upgrade over the Palm Pre Plus. They need an device that is bigger, looks sexy like the Pre but can do everything that the EVO can do and a little more. It also needs to come witj lots of applications available. Having weOS2 with major changes would help as well as aggressive marketing.

However they are going to need a kick ass device and soon.
Chance Favors the Prepared Mind.

RE: Not surprising
Gekko @ 7/26/2010 3:23:17 PM # Q

HP/Palm didn't have the talent to compete before and they sure don't have it now. and the competition is so, so far ahead.


Reply to this comment

Damn the Borg Hive Queen

mikecane @ 7/14/2010 3:07:09 PM # Q
Those commercials, those stupid, rotten, self-indulgent, artsy-fartsy Borg Hive Queen ads helped to doom Palm.
RE: Damn the Borg Hive Queen
gmayhak @ 7/14/2010 3:43:23 PM # Q
LMAO!
She was part of it but the real reason they went down the toilet so fast was the decision to walk away from an established developer community and thousands of apps and great pims and instead start making zen toys shaped like pebbles for some unknown market segment. In other words, some genius at Palm screwed the pooch!

Gary
Tech Center Labs
www.talestuff.com
www.iTalentProductions.com

RE: Damn the Borg Hive Queen
Tuckermaclain @ 7/14/2010 8:34:29 PM # Q
It seems like everybody knows of the commercials and that they were for a new Palm product. I'd say the campaign was a success. Besides, she is beautiful. Admit it Mike--if she asked you out you'd trip all over yourself saying yes.
RE: Damn the Borg Hive Queen
mikecane @ 7/15/2010 2:27:09 AM # Q
God, no. The way she spoke would make me want to strangle her.

NONE of the ads highlighted what the Pre could do or why people would want it. FAIL!

RE: Damn the Borg Hive Queen
CTSLICK @ 7/15/2010 8:19:05 AM # Q
gmayhak wrote:
LMAO!
She was part of it but the real reason they went down the toilet so fast was the decision to walk away from an established developer community and thousands of apps and great pims and instead start making zen toys shaped like pebbles for some unknown market segment. In other words, some genius at Palm screwed the pooch!

Gary


It was sad to leave behind the some of the apps and Palm certainly failed to carry forward much of what was good about their PIM apps. I liked webOS so much I could forgive all of that.
But I couldn't get past the lagging hardware. So I place equal blame on launching with a device who's specs were barely average on Day 1 and well below average inside of 6 months. And their second device was spec'd out even lower. So here we are a year later with no successor to the Pre. Meanwhile HTC is putting forth killer Android devices on multiple carriers at a stunning pace. Now add Samsung and Moto to that list. Is it any wonder Palm/HP can't get any attention?
Put webOS on EVO-like hardware and I will be back.

Sharp Wizard->Palm IIIx->Casio EM-500->Dell Axim x5->Sprint Mogul->Sprint Treo Pro->Sprint Palm Pre->Sprint EVO

Reply to this comment

Graffiti on Android

BaalthazaaR @ 7/15/2010 7:13:54 AM # Q
Tam Hanna's reporting that Access is offering Graffiti on Android as a free download.

http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com/2010/07/15/access-offers-graffiti-as-freeware-for-android/

No idea if it is the original or that lousy Graffiti 2.

RE: Graffiti on Android
CTSLICK @ 7/15/2010 9:09:31 AM # Q
I don't think Graffiti on a non-stylus device is going to work very well. That said I may give this a shot on my EVO just for grins...or a misplaced sense of nostalgia.
Sharp Wizard->Palm IIIx->Casio EM-500->Dell Axim x5->Sprint Mogul->Sprint Treo Pro->Sprint Palm Pre->Sprint EVO
RE: Graffiti on Android
jms001 @ 7/15/2010 9:42:15 AM # Q
I don't know. For me, it goes from bad to best like this:
Worst - virtual keyboard with small keys.
Bad - non-slide-out keyboard
OK - slide-out keyboard
Better - virtual keyboard with big keys
Best - Grafitti (but for capacitive touch, you probably need full screen access, so you'd have to find a way to toggle back and forth between grafitti mode that wasn't too cumbersome)

Reply to this comment

Palm I Great

Deanod @ 7/15/2010 8:48:00 AM # Q
Palm needs to Advertise more is the only downfall I See. and the palm pre does have wi-fi built in and works great if palm would of spent billons on advertisment like apple it might be more popular. and if palm lied to people like apple it would be at the top.
RE: Palm I Great
jms001 @ 7/15/2010 9:46:38 AM # Q
I agree. Palm had one of the best phones out there. But they weren't able to communicate that to others. They also impeded app development rather than helped it (and this was a mortal sin without iPhone out there already sporting so many apps). And I think the lady on the commercials just wierded everyone out way too much. Other than this I thought they did pretty well. Hopefully HP can turn it around. But its a crapshoot at this point to guess.
Reply to this comment

I still want the next Web OS Device

treo007 @ 7/15/2010 11:19:24 AM # Q
While this obviously can only be interpreted as bad news for Palm, RIM should be somewhat concerned. Clearly a survey like this is geared primarily towards the consumer, so you would expect their numbers to be low compared with Apple. However, the 8% drop shows that their attempted inroads into the consumer market have begun to deteriorate.

I would however expect Apples number to come down somewhat with the iPhone 4 reception fiasco.

Reply to this comment

At least webOS is not WinMob7!!

mikecane @ 7/16/2010 7:32:00 AM # Q
Windows Phone 7: Don't bother with this disaster
http://www.infoworld.com/print/130211
Reply to this comment

webOS- Timing killed it

madmaxmedia @ 7/16/2010 12:39:09 PM # Q
Palm was way too late with webOS. Of course, it was heavily influenced by iOS so what can you do.

Maybe if it had come out before Android it might have had better chance to at least secure a #2 position with a little momentum to hopefully make further gains with V 2.0.

If you think it's only advertising that separates Apple and Palm, well...

RE: webOS- Timing killed it
mikecane @ 7/16/2010 1:38:15 PM # Q
Even Steve Jobs cited Palm as having great software today, during his Antennagate song&dance.
RE: webOS- Timing killed it
jca666us @ 7/16/2010 2:41:37 PM # M Q
"Antennagate" - describing an issue affecting every smartphone.
RE: webOS- Timing killed it
mikecane @ 7/16/2010 5:15:45 PM # Q
"Don't touch here" stickers. My god!!
RE: webOS- Timing killed it
mikecane @ 7/16/2010 5:17:01 PM # Q
I should have plopped this in the above Comment. Coming September 30th, when the free Bumpers run out:
http://www.digitalcomicsapp.com/files/lol/eminemiphonebandaid.png

Hey, abosco, you getting one of those?

RE: webOS- Timing killed it
gmayhak @ 7/25/2010 12:10:56 PM # Q
RE: webOS- Timing killed it
mikecane @ 7/25/2010 5:17:21 PM # Q
Yes. Apple is just making that frikkin hole deeper for itself.
RE: webOS- Timing killed it
jca666us @ 7/25/2010 8:21:11 PM # M Q
Mike,

All apple are doing is cya'ing themselves and educating consumers.

RE: webOS- Timing killed it
mikecane @ 7/26/2010 7:34:15 AM # Q
You need to go and read about PR. This just makes it all worse.
RE: webOS- Timing killed it
mikecane @ 7/26/2010 8:41:07 AM # Q
And here's a perfect example of Making It Worse:

Apple becomes a bigger crybaby, attacks Droid X
http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-opinion/50805-apple-becomes-a-bigger-crybaby-attacks-droid-x

>>>Apparently Apple still needs to feel better about itself after its iPhone 4 press conference earlier this month, as it is now seemingly on a mission to belittle every other smartphone on the market.

>>>In what has become one of the most childish responses to a serious internal error in the history of consumer electronics, Apple has refused to accept any sort of fault for designing its newest iPhone in such a way that it makes it easy to accidentally obscure the device's antenna reception.

#PRFAIL

Reply to this comment
Start a New Comment Thread Top

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: