Palm has been a struggling company since 2000. They were once the innovators in the smartphone market. Heck, the smartphone term, Palm Pilot, was the only one of its kind when Palm first started. Palm I through Palm V were big hits, until Blackberry came on the market. Then, Palm came out with the Palm Treo that held its own for the while due to its ability to be a phone, send e-mails and take pics and videos. But, lacked luster due to poor tech support as well as technical issues. For a decade or so, Palm got lost in the era of iPhone and new Blackberry devices. Finally, Palm gave its last run with the Palm Pre which quickly became a Palm bust.
So, here we are with Palm calling it quits at the hands of the mighty HP giant. At $1.2 billion, HP is looking to take the smartphone industry by storm. There is a sexy combination that is possible here where HP takes its sleek touchscreen tablet invention or phone and combines the WebOS on it. The last recognizable HP smartphone might be the iPAQ, but now HP has clout by utilizing the serious R & D that Palm has heavily invested in throughout the decades. Further, HP’s international presence will allow it to easily build within the smartphone devoid barriers of entry.
We’re not holding our breath, and I don’t think you should either. HP has produced HP Slate which is the latest touch screen small laptop, and that has been a nice alternative to theiPad, but HP has to have a signficant price decrease to Apple or Blackberry if consumers will even think of buying their inferior products. Let’s face it, HP products are on the cheaper end for good reason. Yes, they have good value, but they lack the appeal and shiny edge that Apple has. For computers, getting more for less on your laptop or desktop is validated since computers aren’t expected to last more than 1-2 years nowadays. But, for a high-end phone that you’re sticking in your ear, you won’t mind paying more, i.e. iPhone or Blackberry, for this up-to-the-minute necessity that is expected to last 3+ years.
