I’ve done it again. I have a habit of buying into things that are better at what they do than the competition, but apparently fail in the area of consumer appeal. I did it with the Sega Dreamcast. I did it with HD DVD. Now I’ve thrown my lot in with Palm in a smartphone market where it is increasingly looking like there isn’t room for anything outside of iPhone, Android and Blackberry.
Palm brought itself back from the brink with the release of the Pre on Sprint last summer. The Pre saw the introduction of Palm’s webOS. webOS is a linux-based operating system for smartphones that is simple, powerful, and multitasks with a panache unequaled in any handheld device. webOS handles a busy deskpalmtop in a way that makes complete sense: it turns tasks into cards which you can flip through and bring into focus as needed. Want to run Facebook, Twitter, GMail, Google Maps, listen to a podcast, read your feeds, browse the web, and play sudoku all at the same time, just like you do on a computer? No handheld makes it easier than a Palm device running webOS. This is why I am still excited about this platform a month after buying into. It’s just better.
However, the masses are not rushing out to buy Palm phones. Almost everyone I know has a Blackberry. Talk about living in the past. Ever used one? Very 2005.
A couple of my friends have iPhones. Almost all of them that I talk to are aware of Android, and a couple of my friends are looking at Android phones. Try to suggest looking at a Pre to one of them, and they’re like “meh, Palm is ok, but I want an HTC”.
I credit this to successful and unsuccessful advertising. Apple has good ads. The Droid has good ads. The Verizon Palm ads are the first ads for the new Palm devices I ever saw, and the Valentine’s Day ads were atrocious. Way to go Verizon, you just scared your male market off by telling them the Pre was a woman’s phone (no offense to our female readers). The new Verizon Palm ads are an improvement, but maybe the damage has already been done. I have never seen such a huge disparity between what the tech community thinks about a platform (webOS gets universally stellar marks in every article I’ve ever read) and what the public image is.
Palm’s model is not a bad one. Offer two devices, an entry level and a flagship. Update the os. Encourage developers. Infiltrate multiple networks. They need to offer another device, not necessarily a replacement for the Pre, just a new flagship. They need something that people can look at and compare directly to the Droid, Nexus One and all the other iPhone-killing Android handsets that are hitting the streets in 2010. Something with a big, sexy display, real keyboard, and specifications that keep Palm cutting edge.
As it is, Palm has two fantastic form factors right now. The Pixi follows in the footsteps of the Centro and the Treo Pro as a diminutive candy bar with QWERTY keyboard and capacitive touchscreen. Not a power user’s form factor, but a nice form factor nonetheless. My wife has one. It’s a great shape, a joy to type on (seriously, the keyboard is stupendous), and slides into a pocket better than just about any phone I can think of, while still offering most of the smartphone amenities. This is what people looking to buy a Blackberry should get their hands on.
As for the Pre, it’s a great form factor. Small. Vertical slider. I know the Pre’s keyboard looks ridiculous, but it’s actually a breeze to type on, and so much better than a virtual keyboard could ever be.
webOS is the real star of the show here. Best. Smartphone. OS. Period.
So, how does Palm keep from being just an interesting Wikipedia entry and start putting phones in people’s hands?
- Palm absolutely, positively has to make sure that the sales staff in carrier retail stores know the product. If Joe Sixpack walks into a Verizon store and Verizon employee Joe Blow dismisses Palm and steers him toward a Droid, the battle is lost. Palm should be a viable option, depending on the consumer’s needs. Palm is counting on educated sales staff, or the Android and Blackberry phones will keep flying out the door while the Palms get dusty in the boxes. If it takes giving free phones to sales staff, do it. Offer sales incentives. Whatever it takes.
- Effective advertising. The new ads are better, but not the sort that stick in someone’s head. Show people what webOS does better in a way they can understand.
- Get the big name apps on your phones. If every other platform has last.fm, make sure you have last.fm on your platform. You can not let people get the perception that your platform is lacking, anywhere. Throw your developer resources at this stuff when necessary, and do everything you can to get your peripheral developer community doing it for you when possible.
- One of Android’s advantages in trying to gain market share against iPhone is that iPhone is stuck on ATT, and Android is available from every carrier. Palm is now on Sprint and Verizon, and is rumored to be coming to ATT. They need to be everywhere like Blackberry and Android if they want to stay in the game.
- Make the device that everyone wants. People want iPhone. People want a Nexus One. Make a Palm device that has the same appeal. A device people will go out of their way to get their hands on.
These are the obvious points. I don’t know exactly what Palm needs to do, or I would be sitting in a big office somewhere making huge bank to tell people what they need to do. Palm is sitting on a fantastic smartphone os and a couple of good devices, but they are still on the precipice. What do you think they need to do to turn it around?
What would it take to put a Palm phone in your pocket?
