Analyst: Next iPhone Means More Trouble for Palm

If Palm has problems now, wait until this summer, one analyst predicts. Not only will Apple likely have introduced a new iPhone, but there is BlackBerry-maker RIM, as well as the growing strength of Android-powered handsets.

UBS analyst Maynard Um predicts Apple will unveil a new iPhone in June. Although Palm has a deal to promote its Pri, Pixi and Plus through AT&T, Um believes Palm will be down to a one-carrier strategy as AT&T focuses its marketing muscle on promoting the new Apple handset. Indeed, we saw the first signs of that pulling away when the Dallas-based carrier announced it would delay launching the Palm Pre and Pixi from April to June or July. In another sign the upcoming iPhone may be drawing AT&T’s eye off Palm’s new handset’s, the carrier will “sharply reduce its marketing budget” for the handsets’ launch, according to Cannacord Adams analyst Peter Misek earlier this week.

In addition, amid talk Palm might be better to sell itself to Apple or Google, Um told investors Palm must “drive greater scale” (analyst-speak for sell more handsets) at a time when AT&T is focused on the iPhone into August and Verizon is busy with its Android-based offerings.

Earlier this week, Morgan Stanley analyst Ehud Gelblum said Palm could license its webOS to other manufacturers, rather than hawk its own line of handsets. A BNET writer tweaked that suggestion, promoting Palm as the perfect take-over prospect in the increasingly competitive battle between Apple and Google.

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[via Electronista]

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Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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http://Www.jesseswinger.com Jesse
Ahh I see if google were to buy palm they might b on to something.
But I fear we have herd the last ring of palm. Sad since I have been a suporter since the palm 3!
Lars Pallesen
The count down for Palm as an independant smartphone company has begun for sure. And I don’t say that with any schadenfreude, because Palm did some great work with their Web OS.
It’s just very hard to see any way Palm can gain any traction for their OS platform the way things are going.
Buyers? I think RIM could benefit the most from Palm’s IP at the moment.
Charli
i am wondering if some of the Palm delay is ATT hoping to score with some ipad 3gs in their stores. Perhaps to get them they had to promise a primo display space for at least 4 full weeks. Space that would then go to the Palm stuff. Maybe
http://web.me.com/giosaccone GioSaccone
No need for an analyst to understand…
John Ranney
I agree with Lars. RIM has the most to gain by purchasing Palm. In fact without anything new RIM is going to be the next Palm. It may linger in business like Palm did but it will slowly be replaced. And in the consumer market it will drop like a stone.
Plummer
Microsoft will buy Palm. Because that’s the only way MS could ever come up with a semi-decent smartphone. Windows Mobile is just a big fat turd of a failure.
Dan Aaron
I don’t think RIM has anything to worry about. They have a huge section of the business sector and people love their Blackberries. Same cannot be said for Palm when Treos were popular but had shoddy hardware and call reception. iPhone has yet to penetrate the business sector, Android is still too new, and Windows 7 series phones won’t win back a lot of customers in the enterprise that were turned off by previous WinMo phones.
Betamax
Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein is a total moron. He abandoned Apple (at a time when the company was just starting to climb to dominant position in the mobile market) and defected to that failed company Palm instead, thinking that the “Pre” would be some kind of iPhone-killer. LMAO. He gambled and he lost.
I wonder if moron Rubenstein realizes his mistake. Probably not.