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Why Apple needs to release the next iPhone soon – iPhone 3G versus Palm Pre

Posted By Mr.Gadget Published in iPhone, smartphone

Feb

iphone_versus_palm_pre_photo

The accolade of “Best of CES 2009″ that the Palm Pre received wasn’t just because it looked good – this baby is also seriously jam-packed with some groovy functionality.

The foundation of the exciting new Palm is built on the zippy OMAP3430 processor and Palm’s new webOS. With these as building blocks, it seems Palm has picked up where Apple left off: integration with contacts and calendar, multitasking, native tethering, Bluetooth data synch, Bluetooth A2DP, cut ‘n’ paste and of course, promise of a ready turn-by-turn GPS app.

iPhone 3G versus Palm Pre
I’ve compiled a table showing, that on paper, the Palm Pre is the better device.

iphone_vs_palm_pre

I’ve had my iPhone 3G since June last year so I know it fairly intimately, so I can personally say that just by watching the Palm Pre vids online, I know it’s met its match.

Time to get a Palm Pre screen protector ready.

What do you think?

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Tags: Apple, iphone 3g, iPhone vs Palm Pre, Palm, palm pre, Screen Protector

33 Responses to “Why Apple needs to release the next iPhone soon – iPhone 3G versus Palm Pre”

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Ash Henderson Says, in 2-24-2009 at 00:05:38

I think it’s very hard to judge new hardware based on its paper specs, especially if it hasn’t been released yet. We have no guarantees that the Pre will run well. For example, the BlackBerry Storm’s click touch screen sounded innovative, but it really didn’t work very well. The Pre’s OS could be sluggish on the hardware, the multitouch could be badly implemented, etc.

Even if the Pre lives up to its paper expectations, there’s no guarantee that the marketplace will support it. Look at the Sega Dreamcast. Far superior hardware than the original Playstation and Gamecube, yet it sadly failed. Also, if app makers don’t flock to the Pre, there’d be no reason to move over to that platform. Software also determines success.

I hope the Pre does succeed – the market needs competition to breed innovation. But it’s not guaranteed.

Computer Articles blog » Why Apple needs to release the next iPhone soon - iPhone 3G versus … Says, in 2-24-2009 at 01:42:50

[...] Read more: Why Apple needs to release the next iPhone soon – iPhone 3G versus … [...]

David S ( @seemsArtless ) Says, in 2-24-2009 at 07:53:16

You know, I’d trade in my iPod Touch for a device that actually supports stereo Bluetooth out. Funny how some people think of iPod’s as the ultimate music players, but their refusal to support stereo bluetooth out is squashing the market for headphones, portable speakers, etc… I understand there is battery life issues, but still.

Mr.Gadget Says, in 2-24-2009 at 08:46:08

@ash @david Thanks for your thoughts

Sam Says, in 2-24-2009 at 09:22:27

I’m sure that Srint removed the tethering.

Bob Says, in 2-24-2009 at 09:31:38

How can you compare something you know intimately, warts and all, to online marketing videos of an unreleased product designed to showcase its strengths? Don’t you think it’s possible such a comparison might not be fair or accurate?

Palm Pre Geeks Says, in 2-24-2009 at 09:42:18

This is a great side by side of the 2 phones! It will be interesting to see how the gaps fill up like the battery life.

Why Apple needs to release the next iPhone soon - iPhone 3G versus Palm Pre | Smartphone Fight - Next Generation Smartphone News Says, in 2-24-2009 at 10:17:41

[...] Mr.Gadget. (No Ratings Yet) Loading [...]

Anders Says, in 2-24-2009 at 10:32:08

Wait……the Pre doesn’t have WiFi? I thought it did, but if not, that officially kills it for me. IDC about 3G, WiFi is absolutely essential in my opinion

Mr.Gadget Says, in 2-24-2009 at 10:45:38

@Bob I agree there is room for error however I am convinced that what we’ve seen from the Palm Pre is pretty much what we will get and more.

@PalmPreGeeks Will keep an close eye on Palm Pre battery too.

@Anders Apologies. I accidentally left it off – Palm Pre definitely has WiFi on board.

Ideal Z Says, in 2-24-2009 at 11:46:49

wow this is awesome

I was about to buy a new iphone

now i just going to wait for this one instead

Bob Says, in 2-24-2009 at 12:16:26

“I agree there is room for error however I am convinced that what we’ve seen from the Palm Pre is pretty much what we will get and more.”

Because marketing videos can always be counted on to tell us exactly what a product is going to be like, right?

Sachin Says, in 2-24-2009 at 14:21:51

But I am sure that new iPhone will rip the palm pre apart…

palah Says, in 2-24-2009 at 15:03:30

Agree until a unit is 1. released into market (firmware/bloatware from carriers can stuff up a good device) 2. had enough ‘user’ reviews e.g. touch diamond held so much promise (going to sell millions acording to HTC) but forums quickly lit up with unhappy campers. Many companies in the business of primary sales have a habit of giving us some great marketing hype but few live up in real life… ‘caveat emptor’

User01 Says, in 2-24-2009 at 19:24:28

You forgot one stat:

Applications on the App Store:
Apple: Over 15000
Palm: 0 (will there even be an App Store)

You can sprout off about what hardware it has, and how it comes to this and that, but the average person doesn’t care. They want to be able to install iFart damnit!

What matters is the software, and Palm is a long way behind Apple, and I doubt they will catch up.

Mr.Gadget Says, in 2-24-2009 at 19:31:16

@User01 actually I didn’t forget that stat – look at the last line of the table. I acknowledge that there are thousands of apps available for the iPhone.

Believe it or not but not everyone has the need to install iFart.

Vince Says, in 2-24-2009 at 21:01:07

Let’s not just talk about Apps, consider music as well – in conjunction with iPhone, iTunes is the industry leader and it will take something very special to outdo it.

In general, Pre may outdo iPhone in some areas, but looking at the bigger picture, the most important areas are dominated by the iPhone and the rest sadly follows. I don’t think Apple will become a follower, instead they will find ways of being more innovative, create something special and practical – rather than beat others through the amount of functionality it packs into its hardware. Apple do a lot of research, and they will apply a feature if they think it’s important – otherwise, features like MMS gets binned.

bednarz Says, in 2-25-2009 at 02:03:08

In the dimensions row, if you add up the dimensions the iphone is a fair bit smaller due to it’s thickness, surely that should be a win for the iphone no?

RB Says, in 2-25-2009 at 07:16:18

In defense of the Pre/Palm in the past, there have third party apps that allowed Palm devices to show up in iTunes (much like an iPod). When I was a Palm user this was very helpful at the time. Maybe that will be the case with the Pre/WebOS.

And as far as an “app store” goes, if there’s any backward compatibility, the Pre will hit the ground running with thousands (ok, at least hundreds) of usable apps (http://appstore.pocketgear.com/palm/).

That said, I’m looking forward to a new version of the iPhone and the ongoing updates to the OS. If Palm has stayed on target with it’s hardware and OS I’d probably still be using their products and not an iPhone.

Vince Says, in 2-25-2009 at 11:07:15

the pre will be another “touch” versions of the LG, BB, Samsung and even HT.. nothing really innovative but touch-up of the old OS (whether it’s Windows or Palm). maybe they should install solar panels – that could be a good start!

800HighTech Says, in 2-25-2009 at 16:03:56

Looks sleek, but its got a lot to live up if you’re gonna compare it to the iPhone….

Mr.Gadget Says, in 2-25-2009 at 17:19:48

Agree with you there @800Hightech.

Binh514 Says, in 2-25-2009 at 18:57:56

@Vince .. I guess you have an iphone ?

Mr.Gadget Says, in 2-25-2009 at 19:12:31

@Binh514 Yes, Vince does have an iPhone. He loves Apple!

bazaar Says, in 2-26-2009 at 00:46:04

Looks sleek, but its got a lot to live up if you’re gonna compare it to the iPhone…..

My Mobile Life » Blog Archive » Should I wait for the next iPhone? Says, in 2-26-2009 at 08:24:25

[...] now that Apple are doing it more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon or bringing out similar technology. I think the key to the iPhone’s success however is the fact that the platform is so [...]

Why Apple Needs To Release The Next iPhone Soon — hibilog - Around the World Says, in 2-26-2009 at 20:40:18

[...] and Palm’s new webOS. With these as building blocks, it seems Palm has picked up where Apple leftread more | digg story タグ: apple au gadget iphone map palm phone [...]

sarah Says, in 3-4-2009 at 03:09:33

@Vince .. I guess you have an iphone ?

Sysengr Says, in 3-4-2009 at 06:01:01

*sigh*, wish I hadn’t signed that NDA, but then I never would have seen or used the Pre. Palm publicly announced there would be an app store. The apps are Java – 15,000,000 coders are available to take existing apps and bring them in – and guess what? They don’t have to use Cocoa! This is a game changer. I love my iPhone. And I hate Sprint. The ONLY question I have is if Palm has the $$$ to take on Apple and Sprint has the $$$ to take on AT&T.

Ideal z zone Says, in 3-11-2009 at 08:10:08

sounds good

TouchHotChicks Says, in 3-11-2009 at 08:11:25

Very nice … I like it

Jane Says, in 4-12-2009 at 09:30:30

What may give palm a boost is that it was the leader in the pda industry. Just as apple was a desktop computer leader, it became a follower and ipods & hence the iphone, gave them another boost to be a leader again. The same thing could happen to palm. HTC & other failures never were top of the heap.

On a different note, to me the iphone never was or will be a business phone, they are an entertain phone, more is said about their gaming, music and apps then how the business community wants it. The Pre is definetly not an entertainment phone, but more of a business phone or life phone, more in the texting, emailing vain. If I want to keep my life and business on track (& yet keep them separate)I’d do Palm, if I want a phone with my entertainment devise, I’d do apple.

Free MacBook Says, in 5-23-2009 at 21:14:13

What does everyone think about the new iPhone rumors?