Palm Investor: Your Next iPhone Will Be a Pre
by John Paczkowski
Posted on March 6, 2009 at 7:08 AM PT
Palm investor Roger McNamee isn’t drinking his own Kool-Aid, he’s drowning in it.
In an interview with Bloomberg, McNamee–co-founder of Elevation Partners, which owns 39 percent of Palm (PALM)– claimed owners of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone will switch en masse to the Palm Pre when their contracts expire. “You know the beautiful thing: June 29, 2009, is the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone,” he said. “Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later. Think about it–If you bought the first iPhone, you bought it because you wanted the coolest product on the market. Your two-year contract has just expired. Look around. Tell me what they’re going to buy.”
I dunno, the iPhone 3.0?
A hubristic claim, even for McNamee and one reminiscent of those ill-starred words Palm CEO Ed Colligan uttered back in 2006:
“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”
Look, Ed! Behind you!
Yeah, those PC guys never stood a chance…
Comments
That’s the kind of quote that comes back really fast and makes you look foolish, ala Ballmer.
Everyone is going to give up the apps they bought? Give up iTunes? Switch carriers?
It’s a rare phone that gets people to switch carriers like the iPhone has. Despite all the Pre hype I don’t think it has that kind of pull.
Posted by Brendan Walsh at March 6th, 2009 at 8:29 amI do think he went alittle to far but the Pre should do well.
From Ars Technica -
As a dedicated iPhone user, I experienced something very strange and quite unexpected while watching Palm demo the new OS: my iPhone suddenly felt old and played out.
Posted by Miles long at March 6th, 2009 at 1:11 pmJUNE TWENTY-NINTH??? Did they just leak the release date?
Posted by donice knight at March 6th, 2009 at 4:45 pmThe Pre and its WebOS are cogent enough to speak for themselves. They pass phase I with accolades, now they have to pass Stage II with the consumers. It is here where they will garner the support needed to get critical mass. Trumping the iPhone was the easy part, getting critical mass will be uphill only because of its timing. Get it launched before you lose valuable time!
Posted by darius arya at March 6th, 2009 at 10:18 pmPalm is on the cutting edge, all right: of bankruptcy.
Next phone? iPhone 3.
Posted by David Owens at March 9th, 2009 at 6:58 am