“In a note to clients this week, Goldberg argues that Palm, with its new Verizon distribution deal in hand and nearly nearly 1,300 webOS applications in its App Catalog, is building the sort of market momentum that would be attractive to a larger company looking to break into the mobile device market–or shake it up,” Paczkowski reports.
MacDailyNews Take: 1,300 whole apps? Apple’s deleted more apps over review scams. Any more market momentum for beleaguered Palm and they’d be going backwards.
Paczkowski continues, “‘Street consensus appears to be that Palm will be acquired in the next year or two, which given the current environment we think could be a reasonable possibility,'” Goldberg writes. “But to make it a reality, Palm must first demonstrate its viability.”
“Goldberg believes Palm will likely sell 600 thousand webOS devices through Verizon this quarter, and he says that Palm’s App Catalog, whose applications already outnumber those in Nokia and Microsoft stores, will soon exceed those available in RIM’s App World and possibly the Android Market as well,” Paczkowski reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: 600 thousand? That’s viable? Apple’s lost more iPhones in shipping.
And doesn’t Android’s fragmented mess of an app store have something like 20,000 apps? At the rate new webOS apps drip into beleaguered Palm’s fake app store, how will Apple’s castoffs somehow manage to prompt developers to “possibly” exceed that? Hello? Hello? Bueller?
And, oh by the way, where are all of the “Palm’s Pre is an ‘iPhone killer'” trumpeters? Chowing down on crow as they watch the dust settle on Palm’s devices and the sun set on the company itself?
As we said over a year ago:
The more we see and hear from Palm, the more we believe they’re angling for a buyout. – MacDailyNews Take, January 10, 2009
Palm’s Pre dog and pony show is nothing more than takeover bait. They simply do not have the resources necessary to create another mobile platform, especially one that is superfluous. If Palm’s Pre is not a ruse, then those responsible are kidding themselves. – MacDailyNews Take, January 21, 2009
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Edward W.” for the heads up.]
“Beleaguered Palm may be acquisition target”
Ya think?!?
Apple would do well (as it appears they have and will continue to) to remember its own history and that of palm as their success grows. ‘WOE to the one who does not remember history and maintain a modicum of humility…’ [said in a Charleton Heston- Moses tone…]
Over using the word beleaguered makes you sound like a one trick pony and is especially frustrating to read
When you’re desperate, publicly obnoxious and nasty …You’re ……. beleaguered
@Reader
Let’s see. There’s harassed, troubled, plagued, tormented, hassled, aggravated, badgered, persecuted, pestered, vexed, put upon, besieged, surrounded, blockaded, encompassed, beset, encircled, assailed, hemmed in, hedged in, environed.
Nope I like beleaguered, touchy-boy.
MDN, 1,300 may not seem like a lot – especially with the iPhone boasting of 130,000 pieces of dreck in its catalog – but it could certainly cover all the worth-while apps in the iPhone catalog. Of all the apps you have mucked through, how many have you actually added to your iPhone? A dozen? Two? FOUR dozen?
Ya gotta stop making such a silly fuss about “more is better” numbers. Or are you proud of that app that showed a big red HAL light on the screen to proclaim the owner had a couple grand to throw away on such a useful “app”? Or maybe you own three different “fart apps”? Think of a number maybe ten times as large as the number of apps your iPhone holds. If the competition has that many, shut up about it.
Who would want Palm and why?
Tell me one thing they’ve done that’s innovative?
Goodbye Palm
@Reader
I guess you’re new around these parts.
The word “beleaguered” is used by MDN as a direct reference to all the Microsoft-leaning media stories of the past, which almost always used the modifier “beleaguered” paired with the company name, “Apple”.
Those old stories always hyped Apple’s “competition”, and made it look like poor, old Apple was just one rent bill away from shuttering its windows and locking its doors.
Just like iCal-ing another ridiculous prognostication of another
*Insert Apple Product Name Here* -Killer , for future reference when the competitor’s product takes a fatal dive, the word “beleaguered” is used to remind us that Apple is the survivor, the innovator, the high-quality, user-experience-comes-first company.
Apple’s success comes in spite of years of anti-Apple media trying to paint Apple’s shares into the basement, by constantly using terms such as “beleaguered” when referring to Apple.
I love MDN’s use of the word, “beleaguered”!
MDN is right. Where are all the Palm Pee writers/bloggers shouting at the top of their lungs that this is the true iPhone KILLER.
Well???? Why so quiet? Hello? Anyone out there? Or are you all just sitting around in hiding bragging to each other with R2 that you can stream Pandora while you browse the web?
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Wow, DL, someone pissed in YOUR cereal this morning, huh? But then again, there’s just no feeling in the world comparable to condescension, is there?
Keep up the good work: Your self-worth is in there somewhere.
“600 thousand? That’s viable? Apple’s lost more iPhones in shipping.”
Haha. That’s hilarious.
Did anybody watch American Idol last night? They showed 5 winners calling home … yep, 4 of them were iPhones.
Everything you need to know.
The number of apps offered doesn’t matter as much as who’s actually selling/downloading them.
From that angle, no-one except the iPhone is in the app business.
I used to love Palm just as much as I love Apple. I loved having a little handheld device that I could use for notetaking, appointments, an address book, etc. In fact, when I got myself a Tungsten that I could use their keyboard with, that was perfect for notetaking, and even working on Microsoft Office documents on the fly. The only reason I wouldn’t do it on the iPhone is because I can’t achieve the 70 WPM that I can on a full-size keyboard. Personally, I was disappointed when they stopped making PDAs and went exclusively to smartphones, since I love my iPhone.
Of course, now that I think about it, I just figured out why I would want an iPad.
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The only companies that would buy Palm are those that are already struggling to make it in the smartphone business and are looking for an alternative solution.
This could work because remember that Apple bought Next (and got Jobs with it). This led to OSX which basically saved Apple’s bacon.
Now the bit that is missing with Palm is that they do not have someone like Jobs with the innovation to get them out of trouble. Maybe there is someone who can make Palm better but it may just be too late.
Goldberg must have Palm stock.
@MDN,
” Apple’s deleted more apps over review scams. Any more market momentum for beleaguered Palm and they’d be going backwards.”
Please give the anal-yst a chance. You know that this year is going to be a hard year to make your million dollar bonus on crappy stock tips, RIGHT?
So these guys are trying to find a way to sell Palm stock to people that expect the company to be taken over shortly so their stock will soar and they can make tons of money.
@DLMeyer,
“MDN, 1,300 may not seem like a lot – especially with the iPhone boasting of 130,000 pieces of dreck in its catalog – but it could certainly cover all the worth-while apps in the iPhone catalog.”
Is the old DLMeyer that just likes to gripe or a new one that is just an MS Troll??
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I get that you do not like a number of apps in the store. SO what. Go to a dollar store and find 40 things you think are worth less than a dollar. Get someone else to do the same thing. Both come back with the other persons “dreck” and see totally different cheap vs great values.
Just a thought,
en
@ @DLMeyer
DL has a point. God knows we Mac users with some history used to get that kind of crap “quantity of applications” arguments everyday from Wintel people. Come to think of it, we still do. It didn’t matter that I could get the software I needed on the Mac, or that the vast majority of Windows apps were crap. No, it all came down to Windows has a bazillion apps and Mac has nothing— spoken in sneering tones from Windozers.
Well, the shoe is on the other foot now, and I find myself in DL’s corner. I don’t want to be the sneering iPhone owner looking down my nose at anyone that dares not to choose the same technology that I’m using. I’m happy iPhone has a good choice of apps, but we all know that most of us will never use more than 20 or so of them. Be proud of iPhones, evangelize iPhones, but please don’t become smug.
@Spark
“DL has a point.” I am sorry to disagree with you, but no he doesent. Yes there are crap apps in the 140,000 plus apps. But indicating that 90 percent of the apps (140,000/1300) are crap and someone else who has apps, say 1300, and that somehow all of them are great apps, sounds like some troll for MS that is trying to keep up the FUD level.
I applaud MDN. ” I don’t want to be the sneering iPhone owner looking down my nose at anyone that dares not to choose” ” dont be smug”. I say Bite me.
Apple users (95%+) are not smug. Yes they are “extreemely satisfied owners” but not the smug kind of owners that use Android or Palm and “smugly” point out that their phone does multitasking…… and they just down loaded a program to kill the multitasking before it kills their batteries…
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I make it a point to read many of the original articles noted here and then read the comments of others. 4 years ago, the smug was all over the MS commenters. Apple could do NO RIGHT. Now the commenters are tending to push the other way, standing up for Apple when a writer takes some minor point and raises it to a stupid level. SMUG big time.
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MDN is just pushing back. Apple does not comment. They rise above it (for the most part). MDN just points out where not only was the shoe on the other foot a short while ago, but the smugness was at all time highs from MS users. Yes times are a changing…… and people are coming to Apple…. and staying with Apple for a good solid reason. THey ENJOY the heck out of Apple products. minor opps and all.
Sorry to jump on my soapbox here, I know some of you are serious about your comments, but there are so many trolls that just throw out the crap, sounding like sincere, and more on. I see them all over the web…. commenting total crap. They are not sincere like some, just paid trollers. Trying to keep up the smoke and FUD that has served MS and others for so long.
So, I say for MDN to hang in there and keep putting up the good fight. OK you go overboard now and then, but the iCals so its for a good reason.
Done rambling now. Getting my soapbox (genuine Nixon quality too) and going home.
Just a thought,
en
Concept: Open Source the Graffiti handwriting recognition system. I l <3 it. I want it everywhere.
As for the rest of Palm: So long. Sad to see you go. I’ll write you a nice obituary.
I can’t see any reason other than just knocking a competitor out for Apple to buy Palm. I don’t think they have anything that Apple would be interested in.
@NHL,
I don’t disagree with your post. But the part of humility from AmericanJoe should be well taken. “…poor, old Apple was just one rent bill away from shuttering its windows and locking its doors” wasn’t quite true; but it wasn’t very far from the truth, either. (From what I’ve heard from others, it was closer to anywhere from 3 to 6 rent payments.) Steve really did a fantastic job to keep Apple from going under in the late ’90’s.
Now, on with the beleaguering!!!
Thank you NHL:
“Apple’s success comes in spite of years of anti-Apple media trying to paint Apple’s shares into the basement, by constantly using terms such as “beleaguered” when referring to Apple.”
For newbies: 1996 – 1997 the press did indeed paint a FUD picture of a ‘beleaguered’ Apple about to go ‘bankrupt’, or ‘die’, or whatever. It didn’t happen. Apple still had $4 billion in liquid assets even in their worst moments. There are a few ‘in the know’ stories to the contrary and not one of them is verifiable. What ARE verifiable are Apple’s tax returns and their quarterly reports.
I’d be happy to explain the rest of the story upon request. It’s also out there on the Internet if you do the research.
Fun reading:
The Apple Death Knell Counter
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/death_knell/
I still feel the Pre (and now the Pre Plus) is the second best phone out there. I’ve recommended them to friends who refuse to go with iPhone/AT&T;and they are happy with everything but the hardware build quality.
Apple customer for 32 years.
Never a faulty product so far.
AAPL shareholder for 3 years.
Built a career on FileMaker Pro and now OSX Server.
Studying Xcode/Objective C. Head hurts but it’s a fun challenge.
Apple should buy LG, because Life is Good with Apple.
Apple must do Search next. It will be the enduring killer app.
@Derek Currie
Nice link. I’ve forgotten about that one.