Bloomberg: Palm is up for sale
By Nilay Patel 
posted April 11th 2010 11:38PM
posted April 11th 2010 11:38PM
[Thanks, Sean]
posted April 11th 2010 11:38PM
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Maybe I'm missing something but as appealing as an HTC built WebOS phone sounds, isn't HTC a hardware company? Who's going to maintain and build the WebOS "ecosystem" of apps and push the WebOS platform? With hardware that runs Windows Phone 7, Android and now WebOS where will HTC focus it's efforts?
@neonsocks Well if they buy out Palm, then the people who worked on the Palm interface could still be retained. Add that to the Hardware and you got a killer combination.
Fingers crossed!
Not that anyone will read this so far down in the comments, but:
Whoa.
If HTC DOES buy Palm I expect my BAFP within 6 mos.
I am not happy with any company that could probably buy palm. It would be best if Palm stay independent. So Palm, pull up your socks and bring the plus versions of your devices to Europe ... immediately!
Bye Bye Palm.
Maybe the NEXT guy will make it work. LOL
HTC MUST BUY PALM !!!
HD3+WEBOS = RULEZ !!!
ZOMG.
HTC buys Palm. Google buys HTC. Google meshes WebOS and Android, we live happy.
:)
@NomeUF But I thought Android was "godly".
Wouldn't Google be admitting their stuff was not up to snuff if they did that?
@SCXFAN
I don't think that Google will be admitting anything if they make a purchase. Right now, more than anything, the company wants market and mind share. They are already profitable in other businesses, their main concern should really be to grow even more.
HTC is in a good position to do something like this. Allowing another company to buy Palm may give said company strength, if HTC acquires them, it will not only come with all the liabilities, but also all of the strengths such ad a crapload of patents.
It is also very fair to say that HTC is Google's hardware partner, you can put money on every flagship product has been and will likely continue to be built by them.
I remember a year ago, every manufacturer/ developer would say that they know there will be 2-3 dominant players in this industry when it is all done.
The "players" now are Apple, Rim, Microsoft, and Google (as far as OSes go), with Palm and other manufacturers still trying to get in. The collapse of Palm gives the big guys chance to push even more people out. Microsoft is not gonna buy them, Palm will not even look at Apple and they don't even care.
The only remainders, if any, are HTC or another manufacturer.
@NomeUF
On phone, excuse things that don't make sense lol.
Now we know why Verizon recently zeroed out the cost of tethering on Palm phones—they're trying to get rid of them before the Palm toilet flush is complete.
Apple could just about outbid everyone if they chose to do so.
I am leaning towards "they won't".
Tells you how much geek lust is worth.
All the drooling over Palm and Web OS.
Where did all that lust get them?
Now they got a phone and maybe no support for it. LOL
@SCXFAN Everyone loves WebOS, we just hate Palms hardware.
If HTC buys Palm it will have instantly the patent portfolio to fight back to Apple.
Google needs to buy Palm that way they can have a hardware company for their android software and wouldn't have to rely on Moto, HTC or lg. Also incorporate WebOS with Android so that Android becomes strong enough to knock off Apple. Let's be honest WebOS is dead, you might as well give it to Google to let them use it to attack Apple
HTC has the best hardware, Palm has the best software. It only makes sense.(Pun intended, would love webOS + HTC Sense)
IF htc buys palm the apple vs htc lawsuit would get very interesting.
Damn straight Palm has a plan to be profitable. They PLAN, to sell the company and make some serious PROFIT off of the sale!
I don't know why, but for some reason Samsung comes to mind....
PLEASE HTC PLEASE !!!
make moves and buy palm and implement WebOS !! keep WebOS
Hmm *drools*
webdroid anyone?
remember people Palm still has to pull the trigger and except the offer, and believe me there will be stipulations. Remember Rub stated IF and only IF there was a intelegent offer on the table, the board would consider selling. As of right now I'm thinking since they last spoke to HTC, I believe they came to some sort of agreement for HTC to aquire Palm. Of course RUB would not sell to anyone who is only going to scrap the Web OS and just aquire Palm for its patents. Knowing this and knowing that since 08 HTC has been looking to have a OS for themselves, it only makes since HTC would talk with Palm about not only aquiring Palm for its Web OS (and prob keeping the internals to develop the Web OS which would be smart) but also of course its patents. HTC I believe will drop making phones for Android, and WM7 because they wouldnt need them anymore to sell device, they would have WEB OS. Remember like a Car sells itself no matter whats under the hood, but in this case you have a powerfull engine under the hood in web os. People buy HTC phones because they look nice, not because of the OS. Think about it if android was in a pre phone they would not sell a thing, the reason why the pre sold to people who didnt really care for the style of the phone (due more to the masses and whats in style more then the pre was a good designed phone) was because of Web OS. So rest assured Rub will try everything is his power to make sure with whatever offer comes onto the table this week it will be for keeping the WEB OS experiance alive.
@ceeaser
Can't read....eyes....burning!!! -_-
So personal best cases... RIM - Eventually Blackberry message services pasted on top of a growing solid platform. Otherwise known as a blackberry with an awesome browser. Google - Purchased for the patents but Palm is given the resources to polish up and perhaps open source the webos.
Palm should have released GSM first, Pre would have murdered on TMobile.
Worst cases, Microsoft or Apple buys it for the patent portfolio and kills off WEBOS. HTC buys it and gets in a taiwan/california culture clash, and never does anything with webos since they are a hardware shop. Dell, buys it and eventually puts out a bunch of win 7 phones branded with the palm name. Lenovo buys it and rolls out phones for the china market only. Motorolla buys it and goes bankrupt in 6 months with 4 hot phones in the pipe.
who the hell buys palm anyways
I question the fact if any of you posting have physically owned an HTC phone... Because if you did, you would NOT want to see a wonderful OS go to waste. Being a user of two HTC phones, I would never own one again. Sure, their phones are appealing but once you purchase one, you will endure the results of poor manufacturing and will regret that decision each day. Consider the poor Nexus One, which is unable to sustain the daily wear and tear of your pocket.. I would only hope that Palm finds its home to a manufacturer which produces better quality phones such as Motorola...
@cherryboom WebOS looks nothing like the iPhone OS. Anymore ridiculous comments you would like to make?
OMG -- an HTC phone running WebOS!?
NO WAY!!!!!!!
HTC needs to teach palm how to make good hardware, fosho.
Palm's OS is amazing but their devices SUCK -- they don't even have SD card slots, gah...
why does this not feel like good news to me?
apple should buy it, then sell it for big $$$
or maybe microsoft should get it instead.
@jmiotto they do need software, because wp7 isn't going anywhere fast...
While I can't say I'm surprised I am a bit wistful. I'll miss Palm as its own entity. I had the Treo 700w and 700wx, I now have the Pre and while it is a floundering device I do still like it.
I think it would be phenomenal if this led to a bigger pick up of WebOS but again I doubt it. Maybe they'll put Android on the Pre now?
You guys are bugging. HTC is the handheld equivalent of Dell. They are just a manufacturer. They have no OS development expertise. HTC will do no better moving Palm OS handhelds than Palm did. For all purposes, the Palm OS has been defeated by the iPhone. There is only ONE company where it makes sense to purchase Palm's OS, and that company is RIM. The Blackberry is still THE leading smartphone in the business market, and making inroads in the consumer market. But what RIM lacks is a top flight interface and web browsing experience. Adding components of Palm OS, or using Palm OS as the backbone of a new handheld, and replacing the e-mail client with their Blackberry e-mail client, would give Palm more of what it needs to fight Apple in the consumer market, and preventing defections among their business customers who have been sniffing around the iPhone.
In this market, the companies that own the hardware and the OS will do best. That means RIM and Apple. As long as Google tries to pimp an open source OS while relying on multiple hardware manufacturers, Android will fragment, just like Linux and Unix beforehand. Much like the Zune, Microsoft will need to do the same thing with WinMo7... own the hardware!
No one wants or expects a systems approach when buying a handheld. They want a complete product designed, supplied and supported from one manufacturer. That's where the passion is.
Apple will be the one doing the buying. You think they want to let go of all those patents they can sue people over?
Would be cool to have HTC make a dual boot Nexus class brick with WebOS and And Android :)
Google should buy them and call it a day and a half.
I think this may be more about owning Palm's patents than anything. I think they're none too happy about the attempted assraping by Apple and would like to return the favor.
Apple will buy Palm and Palm will disappear like Menudo.
Like how Engadget said, HTC wants Palm for the patents to curb Apples dominance and maybe in the process create the best phone ever dreamed of.
Whoever buys Palm can rule the world, if they don't screw it up. So much more potential here than Android.