Verizon reportedly snubs the Palm Pre

There’s been rumors going around that Verizon Wireless has decided not to carry the Palm Prestarting in 2010 after all. They were supposed to be the second wireless carrier in the US to get the WebOS device. While many people wonder if this is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Palm really none of us should be so surprised at this news.

Sales of the Palm Pre have been sluggish since it launched in June of this year and the hyped up competition from new comers like Android OS devices really doesn’t help much does it? It splits up the market even more and consumers really have choices. There are also great Nokia products in the market as well as old standbys like BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices.

Where does that leave Palm? Well, for one thing Palm repeatedly said prior to the launch that the Pre was not an iPhone competitor and I fully agree to this statement. While many people have tried to compare the two devices, in my opinion, there’s simply no competition. Apple is what it is and it is good at making consumer electronics. They perfected the iPod and have worked very hard in the last 3 years to ensure that the iPhone will keep on getting better and better.

And that’s where the key lies: they are focusing in only on 1 device. Apple simply cannot afford to spread their OS across multiple device platforms and dilute their resources and revenue. Meanwhile, manufacturers like HTC or Palm or BlackBerry are left struggling to introduce new models to the market regularly.  

At the end of the day, indeed Palm might be late to the table. And while they have already decided to cut ties with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform I don’t know that WebOS, which is in its infancy, can take over the market share that Apple’s iPhone has been able to. Sure, Palm is raising additional cash but they should also think seriously about who they  want to carry this phone. Is it teenagers? Is it executives and middle management? I certainly hope for Palm’ sake that these Verizon rumors are not true, especially given the likelihood of the iPhone coming to Verizon next year as well.