Jon Rubinstein takes over as Palm CEO
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jun 10th 2009 5:34PM
posted Jun 10th 2009 5:34PM
[Via Brighthand]
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Let the comparisons to Steve Jobs begin now...
shaved his head and he'll look like that bald dude from star trek.
Awesome! Now they can both hangout at the CEO's club!
Hope they gave him a free pre on his way out.
What, that they're both CEO's?
This traitorous ex-Apple dude couldn't carry Steve Jobs jockstrap. They had to kick him out of Apple because he wanted to stick a damn keyboard on an iPhone. I'd have kicked him in his ass and fired him on the spot. Dude doesn't get the point of having a virtual keyboard until international users need type Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian or Hangul and they start scratching their heads when they see some near useless QWERTY keyboard on gummy chicklet keys. This guy is a bit shortsighted.
Apple has been trying to standardize hardware around the world and a virtual keyboard doesn't need a localized physical keyboard. Apple should have had a contract that wouldn't allow Rube to go to competitors, but maybe they thought this dude would just do more harm to the competitors than good, anyway. I hope the Rube is good enough to keep Palm running at least a couple of more years so their employees won't be out on the streets like those Motorola bastard executives caused.
Colligan should have been fired when he started to let the PalmOS wither and die as loyal Palmists waited for updates to the OS. Colligan and MacNamee, two of a kind. Vocal and always underestimating the competition.
Turkish is written in the Latin alphabet...
iphonerulez, why the antagonism toward Rubinstein? Sure he may be the head of a rival company and creator of what's arguably the best iPhone competitor thus far but let us not forget the good he did. He was instrumental in creating the revitalized Apple we have today.
Rubinstein hasn't attacked Apple or Steve Jobs. He's had nothing but kind words and admiration for his old employer. He's the same old guy, likely an enthusiastic Mac and iPod user. So why attack him?
Don't let the lame fanboy battles on Engadget get to you so much.
"This traitorous ex-Apple dude couldn't carry Steve Jobs jockstrap. They had to kick him out of Apple because he wanted to stick...blah blah blah"
Even when you are the guy that was responsible for th products that help create these punk Apple fanatics, if you dont adhere to the cult, you will become a target too.
I swear these people are mentally deranged.
dissing one of your former gods, iphonerulez?
rubinstein designed the phone and the computers that made apple what it is today.
"Colligan should have been fired when he started to let the PalmOS wither and die as loyal Palmists waited for updates to the OS"
Thats the only sensible thing you said....
@iphonerulez,
I know you are a troll, but you make a point that is interesting. What you say would be mostly true, until you look at a market like the Japan. The iPhone struggles to sell there as the Japanese purchase more cell phones with a keypad to tap out their utterances. It's not like Apple has poor Japanese support either. iPhone's Japanese input support is some of the best I've ever seen. However, the Japanese are rushed people, always on tight schedules from the office to the subway train. Therefore they have no time to deal with an arguably superior virtual keyboard and prefer the accuracy of a physical keypad.
This also holds true for other Asian markets like China, Taiwan, and South Korea.
@ iphonerulez even though I am a big Apple fan I do honestly hope the best for Rub. He has a great history of being part of Apple's "Dream Team" or the one. Even though he moved on to Palm it will only benefit us. Rub will step up the competition Apple responds and Palm responds and Motorola responds etc. Anyways don't mock someone just because he moved to another company. It's people like you who think people with Macs and Apple products as nothing but trolls. Please iphonerulez I am a fellow Apple Fanboy and willing to defend Apple but damn people like you should praise competition and hope that this guy can keep all of the workers alright?
FACT CHECK PLEASE!
..
>>> Ed Colligan as CEO for 16 years?!?
Ed Colligan has only been CEO for a few years, before that he was a marketing / product guy at the company since its inception.
He was the one who actually knew there was a problem and brought Elevation Partners into the picture.
@Jeff
I wondered why the iPhone hasn't made much of an impression in Japan, but thinking about it, a lot of popular foreign smartphones are equally marginalized. It's probably because the domestic market, free-with-contract models do so much anyway (TV, news, weather, train schedules, mobile internet, internet, email...) that there isn't a huge incentive.
And typing in Japanese on a numeric keypad makes a whole lot more sense than typing in English on a numeric keypad. Those of you with Japanese phones will know what I mean.
There's no comparison at all. He doesn't wear a black turtleneck shirt.
@Jeff
You have it all wrong. The reason the iphone doesn't sell well in Japan, is because the technology is decades behind in relation to hardware and such. The tech in Japan puts the iphone to shame, hell the tech in most standard phones in the Western world also puts it to shame, the only difference are the apple sheep in the Western world.
@tails2,
I have to politely disagree. Japanese phones have been largely the same since shortly after the turn of the century. Sure, they have 1seg and are bordering on insane when it comes to the megapixels their cameras push. But, phones outside of Japan have become far more advanced in processing speed, battery life (use one of DoCoMo's new 1seg, 8 megapixel, rotating display monsters for a day and see what I mean), and visuals. Both Japan and rest of the world use UMTS, so Japan's networks aren't any faster currently.
I have asked Japanese people why they haven't considered an iPhone, and the reasons are mostly UI usability and personalization. Touch screen phones are much too fiddly compared to a keypad. On the personalization front you have to take a look at most Japanese cell phone users. Their phones are usually decked out, in the color of their choice, with a cell phone charm of their choice, with a background of their choice, and with a screensaver of their choice. None of this is available on the iPhone (the unlock screen doesn't count :).
In the end, I feel the iPhone is a superior phone to nearly all, if not all, of the Japanese market phones. However, even with Softbank offering the phone for practically free with contract, because of the cultural drawbacks, iPhone will remain unpopular.
Comparisons to Steve Jobs? Steve-o wouldn't release a phone with battery as bad as that of the Pre's. I know everyone thinks that this device is just dandy, because the first impression is nice, but I'm not sure how this thing is going to hold up over time. I wrote up some thoughts on the Pre after 100 hours here: http://www.crazyhawt.com/2009/06/10/100-hours-with-the-palm-pre-the-bad/
Troll stupidity aside, it's actually far faster to enter many Asian languages on a hard keypad, or even a qwerty than a virtual screen. Some entry systems require rapidly hitting the different strokes for a particular character in the same order you would write them, which can be done even on an older cell phone since there are only so many strokes. There's even entry systems for computers that specifically require a qwerty keyboard since they require simultaneous key presses.
No matter where you go, everyone's computers use a regular old qwerty keyboard, with only slight differences between countries and continents. Sometimes you get different symbols, but all the keyboards work just fine as qwerty keyboards so clearly the layout is fine, and it's not like you can't print other symbols on hard keys...they do it for keyboards everywhere.
And a qwerty layout also lets you use phonetic entry systems like pinyin-which is relatively slow and painful, but it'd be even worse with a virtual keyboard.
Colligan failed soo hard with the Foleo, shame he has to go though.
Actually, I'm kind of relieved to see him go. Foleo trying to make a comeback is one of the Palm nightmare scenario.
Looks like the Pre launch is a failure - you don't can a successful CEO.
The next earnings call will be interesting.
Yay?
And so it begins...
" in stewie griffin voice "
It makes me feel a little dirty as a Palm fanboy to have to idolize an Apple guy like Rubinstein, but damn did he rock out with the Pre.
I know how you feel. But at least he saw the error of his ways and left Apple.
He'll probably provide better competition to the industry equaling better products and services for everyone.
It's interesting, though, because now netbooks are all the rage.
Foleo was going to fail. It was overpriced, and had weak features. Netbooks were going to eat Palm's lunch.
The Foleo wasn't a netbook. It was an external screen and keyboard for a Treo. It would require a complete software replacement to compete with netbooks - and if you have to do that, then what is it's competitive advantage?
whaa?
Very good news for Palm.
wow! what a time to leave!
Good god is he ugly. Hes looks like the offspring of Ron Pearlman and Murderface's mother.
At least he doesn't look as feminine as Stebe Jo
I disagree. He actually looks pretty smart. More like young Joseph Stalin. Strikingly similar, in fact.
200,000 Pre sales is a success. 10,000,000 iphone sales is a statistic.
Apple 2: With a vengeance!!!
ALL HAIL JON RUBINSTEIN!! Pre-Father!
"PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They're not going to just walk in."
Ed Colligan was right. Mac guys did it.
Amen brotha!!
On this photo he looks strikingly similar to young Joseph Stalin...
I was angling for an angry James Marsters.
Cyclops? Ummm, no.
Looks like a preacher to me.
No. Cyclops was played by James Marsden. James Marsters played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as Brainiac on Smallville and John in P.S. I Love You.
Picture gallery from his official page: http://www.jamesmarsters.com/multimedia.shtml
This is big.... ex-head of iPod and Mac becomes CEO of Palm. Things are looking good over there...
Sold 50,000 measly pres n now CEO ,.LOL
Pathetic,.,.they think 50k saved pre,.
Wake up to harsh reality,.
Considering it was a soft launch and not the hard launch which is aimed at the general public, no national TV AD's, I'd say Sprint and Palm did very well. By the way, the figures are between 50,000 and 100,000, the original iphone sold upwards of 150,000 on opening day, with national TV AD's.
yeah but thats a record for sprint, silly boy. :)
swear i've never even heard of these people.
you MUST be joking
I am more annoyed that this photo is under exposed...
he looks like the samee guy in one of those photos of people on line, waiting to buy the palm pre!
"photo is under exposed..."
Maybe cause it was taken by an iPhone? (\ducks\)
Jokes aside, if Rubinstein can execute, i.e. show good marketing skillz, we maybe picturing the next 'Steve Jobs'.
Great News to hear! I'm sure he'll bring amazing stuff to Palm!! (all devices should have qwerty keyboards; it just makes sense, you know? It just feels right. Virtual keyboards are cool and all, but in all seriousness, they completely suck sometimes and it should just be in as a secondary option.)
At Palm they replace you before you get cancer.
Sad but true! and Apple wouldn't be alive without Steve
It goes to show that the Pre wouldn't exist without Apple. All the ex-Apple people are making the decisions over there.
If you think about it, Apple wouldn't exist as it is today without those people who are now ex-Apple people.
@Sy
and Apple wouldn't exist today if it wasn't for the Great Microsoft Bailout. You should be licking Bill Gates' balls everyday you powerup your overpriced laptop.
Who's exactly sure that Bill Gates has balls. Only Melinda knows for certain. Well, I hope she knows for certain.
@sweet greggo
Wow, so we are going from talking about a product(Pre) to a multi-billion dollar company? When does buying $150 million in non-voting stocks considered to be a bailout? If you want to play that game, if it weren't for Apple, Microsoft wouldn't be as big. Go back and check your history.
BTW, I writing this on a PC and don't have a Mac laptop.
Wasn't it that ex-palm guys went to Apple after the Treo's came out and Handspring folded back into Palm? Remember that PalmOS and 68000 Mac systems were very similar and had similar (really the same) development platforms? Remember the Palm V, VI, VII, Handspring Visor, Prism, etc... basically how iPhone got the consumer R&D data from looking at a company that's been in the game since 1996?
From a form factor standpoint, the Handspring Visor Platinum got it right (and thinner than a iPhone)...
Anyone else think he looks a lot like the hunter from Jurassic Park II?
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1824889088/nm0000592
Hmmmm...
Clever girl.
@Steve
That's actually Robert Muldoon from the first one
The applicable quote from Roland (the hunter from JP2) would be:
"...That's the last time I leave you in charge."
What happens to Jon when Dell buys Palm? Hmm...
right.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_24/b4135033926195.htm
Good move, i think.
He did an amazing job with the pre.
seems deserving....
Yall talk so much shit!
In the end, the investors at Palm will get an increase from their investment and then Palm will die a quick and painful death. There is no way for them to make it with so many damn iphone knock offs on he market and so many more to come. And with so many copy cats on the market now, everyone will have to constantly improve their swag to gain attention and the other guy will have to one up that guy. The cycle is vicious and EXPENSIVE!!!!!!
It will turn into a bells and whistles whore house while Apple sits pretty, like always.
Apparently you don't know Apple's history.
wait, this homeless guy was askin for change at the Pre launch lineup outside, and now he's CEO?
ROLMFAO~~~~~~~!!!!!!
You're an idiot. You do realize that, right?
It'll be interesting to see what happens when WebOS is on netbook type device. You didnt think the Pre was the only thing they had in mind when they developed it over 2 years ago? Come on, long live Palm! There will be a Foleo 2. -wink- wink-
I don't know why all the Apple fanboys are hating on Jon R. Apple would have a swift death without Steve J, anyone remember that they had to bring him back for Apple to succeed?
Iphone the old novelty is worn out. Lipstick on a pig... Innovate or die, up today forgotten tomorrow. All that is left is a bunch of idrone with no sense of purpose Pre-tending the end is not approaching. Idrone stuck cheering for outdated electronics. While ATT sticks it to you while you cheer. Bring cash. So Sad. Get to multitasking. Its the next wave, not the old one trick (at a time) pony. Later Idrones...
I think Mike Cane sums it up best http://prepoint.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/farewell-ed-colligan/
the take away is "What Ed Colligan has in his favor — what ultimately redeemed him — what his recognition that he didn’t know what to do next. This is a very tough thing for anyone to have to admit — and I applaud Ed Colligan for having the bravery to admit such a thing. It takes real guts to do that."
now we are talking... Rub can lead the company into greatness! with his background in Apple culture!
Am I the only one that thinks this guy looks a little bit like Peirce Brosnan?
Patrick Stewart
iphonerulz
You are one pathetic looser, Jobs is a great force in technology but you macnazi's are a joke as are most fanboi's. I think your moms calling she baked you cookies!
Rubenstein vs Jobs...FIGHT!
test
Now we know why he left Palm- He's an agent of The Jobs!
Left (apple)
Dang that comment system! No Edit system FTL!
I don't see the Stalin resemblance.
He kinda looks like the guy doing Bond these days except with different hair color.
While this may seem bad for Apple, this is good for Apple consumers. Competition will keep Apple on their toes and make for better products.