Top 10 Reasons to Look Forward to Palm Pre

by Michelle Maisto

On May 28 Palm confirmed that the Pre’s WebOS includes an application, Palm Media Sync, that synchronizes with iTunes and allows users to transfer DRM-free music, photos and video onto the Pre. Will Apple update iTunes to block non-Apple users?

As Apple proved, applications are the name of the game. Palm executives have boasted that the Pre offers the easiest possible platform on which to develop. Will developers bite, and will the downloads follow?

The Touchstone is a sold-separately charging option for the Pre. Like an electric toothbrush holder, it charges through induction—there’s nothing to click into, the Pre simply sits on top, while wearing its induction-friendly back cover replacement. Will the Touchstone prove to be a game-changer or a gimmick?

Despite security concerns, the Apple iPhone has charmed its way into enterprises, the established domain of the RIM BlackBerry. Will the Pre also be allowed into the office, stepping on even the toes of the Treo?

Just when it seemed the Pre was exclusive to Sprint, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam announced that Verizon will also offer the Pre in the next six months or so. Will this help Palm build the support it’s looking for – and will all that be undone if Verizon also gets an iPhone?

The Palm Pre is expected to have a “younger sibling,” the Pixie, a candybar-style phone also running the Pre’s WebOS and reportedly with a $99 price point. Will Pre sales encourage or discourage the likelihood of a Pixie sooner rather than later?

Researcher iSuppli performed a virtual teardown of the Pre and estimated its bill of materials at $170. Analyst Tina Teng wrote, “The similarity in features between the Pre and the iPhone clearly reveals the mark Palm is trying to hit.” Is Pre quality on par with that of the iPhone?

Data from Deutsche Bank and AdMob show that smartphones enable software use and services that drives mobile market share to the point of exceeding handset sales. Will WebOS, like Google’s Android, garner precocious market share, even while handset numbers remain limited?

In March, Palm investor Roger McNamee told Bloomberg that people want the coolest new product, and that come the June-time second anniversary of the iPhone, “Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later.”

Last but not least, the question remains whether the Palm Pre is really an “iPhone killer.” Which is to say, the type of enormous success that will not just buoy a sinking Palm, but put some wind back in its sails.