One logical and excellent deduction by "NullAgenda": With the introduction of Palm Pre, should iPhone be the one that worry, or should it be Blackberry instead?
Palm Pre -- Should RIM or Apple worry?
With reports of the Palm Pre launch just around the corner, it’s only natural to wonder how it will hold up against the existing competition.
Since the iPhone’s arrival many devices have tried (and failed) to challenge the iPhone’s mass consumer appeal, hype, and sleek aesthetics, but the Palm Pre appears to have a better chance at making its presence known. The user interface powered by the new Palm webOS as well as the clean and simple styling of the device may have captured the attention of many who would consider or own an iPhone, but the sheer strength of Apple and its AppStore (not to mention the huge subscriber base of AT&T) probably won’t slow the iPhone train anytime soon.
On the other side of the battle is RIM and their powerful BlackBerry brand. Although RIM has made pushes into the general consumer space with devices like the Storm and the launch of the AppWorld marketplace, their bread and butter still lies in the hands of business consumers, a sector the iPhone has not penetrated as easily. This however is an area where Palm has a strong history, and where RIM has grown at Palm’s expense.
The difference this time around is that consumers (thanks to the iPhone) are demanding a better user experience from the first time the phone is booted up, to the animations of message alerts. And from early demonstrations the Pre appears to handle this rather well, while the user interface on BlackBerry devices is beginning to show its age. This could be an area of concern for RIM since Palm has less convincing to do in the business world than the iPhone. If priced right, executed successfully, and an introduction to an additional carrier besides Sprint is achieved, the BlackBerry lineup may be caught flat-footed against the Pre with no apparent plans of a UI overhaul anytime soon.
In RIM’s favor, they are not sitting idle in the UI department, but with a new iPhone guaranteed to hit shelves soon, and the Palm Pre a few weeks away it’s hard not to believe they’ll be playing catch up.
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