Palm's Jon Rubinstein: 'I think we have a better product than Droid'
By Nilay Patel 
posted April 9th 2010 4:08PM
posted April 9th 2010 4:08PM
It's certainly an interesting thought experiment, but we've always said that the Pre's marketing had a lot to do with its failure on Big Red as well -- and Palm apparently agrees, since it's fired its ad agency and Jon told Fortune that Verizon's changing their ads as well. As for the buyout rumors? Well, obviously Jon didn't say much, but it sounds like he's not too interested -- although that can always change if the right suitor comes to the table . We'll see if Ruby actually manages to turn things around -- we've got some ideas on how to make that happen. Hit the source link for the full interview.One of the analysts on our earnings call asked if we had launched when Droid launched, and Droid launched when [we] launched at Verizon, would the story have been opposite? I said I think we have a better product than Droid, and customers would have been happier with it.
@schammy I'm getting used to the Droid's physical keyboard. I actually find myself missing less keys when using it.
"I Think" Palm needs a new CEO.
Iphone OS4 with recent news just became great. Palm OS has always been beautiful and useful from day one. and god knows how long I've waited for this device to hit Norwegian stores, and still nothing... If the american marked is hard to do business in, why not move the focus else where?
Yo Jon, if your Pre is supposed to be better than the Droid, why is it that Sprint customers who have purchased your Pre, rate it as barely above average?
OPEN COMMENT TO JON RUBINSTEIN:
If you want to know if your product is better than _______ (fill in the blank) look at the numbers. The market tells you the reality of "goodness/betterness of your product. No matter how touchy-feely and good vibs you feel when you hold your Palm in your hand - the market needs to feel the same. Period. Based upon numbers - purchases - this isn't happening.
If that isn't happening - then you need to do a reboot on your reality concepts.
This is not about the competition. It is about how you have positioned yourself and your marketing tactics. Being lazy in any way in your marketing efforts (i.e. using iTunes instead of creating your own "store") tells the market you don't have the resources, talent and capacity to compete in the market. You are a wannabe...
I have owned Palm products for a long time. It was THE way to keep track of my business life while mobile. Not any more.
Good luck in your next job.
Wow. He thinks the Droid is relevant?
He really hasn't used an iPhone! haha
I think palm has the right idea with the software, but the hardware is terrible.
The keyboard sucks, and the phone's design and shape is very feminine.
Even though WebOS has a lot of fundamental architectural differences that make it a much better operating system than the iPhone and/or Android, they're not using it to its full capacity. The OS needs a lot more detailed execution of features/maturity to beat the well-honed, at this point, iPhone OS and the breakneck development speed of Android. And dear gawd, up the build quality or ask someone he does build better phones to get you a brushed metal casing, a better processor & a bigger screen!
Even a two-year-old can critique and tell you the same things, although not in the exact same words (http://laughingsquid.com/a-2-5-year-old-uses-an-ipad-for-the-first-time/), that the trained eyes of our beloved Engadget editors can tell you that's missing from the iPad (http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/apple-ipad-first-hands-on/), namely Flash for video and a camera, let alone what's wrong with the Palm Pre. It's not rocket science. Make it right! Don't say it's right.
Droid is better, because sales matter. Without sales, you've got nothing.
Jon, if you think you have such an awesome product, then sell it. Sell the freakin UMTS Pre already. If the carriers won't help you, then sell it yourself. Just get it out. Really, Google and Apple won't stay still waiting for you to take action. iPhone 4.0 is coming, and who knows how many more dozens of Android devices are going to ship, yet you don't even want to release your old Pre unlocked. Pathetic. Are you waiting for Palm to be cheap enough so you can report back to Darth Jobs and let Apple take Palm over?
Hes like the Daimler-CEO Dieter Zetsche :) anyway the Pré is not comparable with the Droid / allthough webOS is a nice OS with a LOT potential.
Wow engadget, no CE-Oh no he dih ent ?!??!?!?!?
SHAME ON THIS OMISSION
I really don't see why Palm is having so many problems. It seems pretty simple to me. Put out a new, GOOD phone. Make it not built like a hunk of ****. Make it solid, make it fast, and put the biggest damn battery you can in it without making it too thick or heavy.
After that put it on every carrier available everywhere. Everything from at&t to Metro PCS. If that isn't an option, at least get it on the big GSM carriers. If nothing else that will make it easier to get overseas.
Lol maybe, but palm will be bought for peanuts by the end of the year, and John wouldn't be the ceo for too much longer.
I think if JR looked to gadget blogs for business advice he would not have achieved anything in his life.
The game is hardly over, hell it has hardly begun. As their devices reaches more carriers, there will be more market penetration and friends can show it to each other and not being on the same carrier will not impact adoption.
Palm has it first generation devices, no one knows what the second gen will look like. I imagine the next gen will hit sprint before 06/01/11 when everyone that was an early adopter will be reaching the end of their contract at Sprint.
I would not be surprised to see 4g and the wifi hotspot becoming ubiquitous on every device.
Palm has the foundation for a very good future. Not to concerned.
Even if Palm went tits up I would not be surprised to see the WebOS UI live on. It is the best UI of any phone hands down.
if i thought they had a better product, i would have bought a pre instead of a droid
if he really wanted his phone to sell, he would release it on all carriers, example blackberry.
WebOS is pretty solid, but this is laughable. Marketing did wonders for the Droid, as it found a niche.
The Droid looks, performs and was marketed as a guy's phone, a smartphone alternative for those who don't drink lattes or protest global warming (disclosure: I type this from a MBP). Anyone who frequents a Droid online community can easily discern that a significant portion of this fan base consists of folks taking a break from the sluggish RIM and appreciate that the Droid has Google attached.
The Pre feels cheap and has Palm backing it. Palm. People know Palm, but very few people have any clue what Palm is up to. Palm needs to make WebOS synonymous with itself, because they're never going to make a run at the Droid (much less the iPhone) if they're waiting for people to roll into stores because they heard about that awesome WebOS (now people on this site would do that, but gadget dorks aren't the primary target).
I remember when they were brave enough to 'tackle' the iPhone OS. Now there competing with the DROID OS, where did Palms confidence go? Just look at the mess the iPhone created. There the ones to blame for calling them selves the "iPhone Killer" because of that people had 'high expectations' and were easily dissapointed.
I think WebOS deserves to succeed but Jon seems like he is in denial. At this stage of the game, the only interview he should grant is one where he can present a new course of action for Palm. I read the interview: it's just more of the same. Should've/Could've/Would've.
I think Palm needs a new CEO. Spearheading a team to create a new phone is one thing - but selling it to the masses is quite another.
For now, I'll just keep dreaming about my HTC Fender WebOS phone.