Verizon In Talks To Offer iPhone > It will happen

It will happen

I agree with what you're saying.. however, I can't help but wonder how the Palm Pre is going to play into, or out of, favor for Sprint. The Pre is squarely aimed at the iPhone and will probably put the iPhone to shame with ONE exception - the app store and some of the accessories.

I have an iTouch and do love it. They did a pretty good job but has lots of room to improve which will in version 3 of the o/s. The Pre, I'm afraid, is going to be pretty walled in and going to take the fun out of actually having that phone... and it's the "FUN" that draws people to these kinds of phone.

But, back to what you're saying. There are many people that avoid certain companies for what ever reason so there is always a large market that won't go to one provider or another. I believe you're right in numbers in theory, but I think that apple, like the NFL, will roll over in the end and stay with American Thieves & Thugs for the provider.

Apple LOVES to pulls these PR "keep 'em guessing and talking - free advertising for our product" stunts too. They talk about something, costs them nothing to do so, everyone is a buzz, the product is on everyone's lips and nothing changes in the end.

Well, what makes the iPhone something more than an MP3 player with a phone in it are it's apps. I have used an iPhone before and I have the iTouch. To be honest, until they came out with the app store, their applications were pretty lackluster.

To this day, I use the built in email app, calculator, and calendar. Other than that, most of the things that make these devices worth anything are the apps developed by other people.

I use the weather channel's weather app, not the phone's app. I have downloaded apps like Facebook, Ebay, Paypal, google earth, MySpace, Amazon, restaurant guides/locate, Yahoo's chat, etc. None of these apps were put out by apple.

Open applications are what make the iPhone worth a damn. Otherwise, it's just a phone with an MP3 player win it.

So, my question is, will Palm be able to make that phone capable of keeping people's attention? I believe that the phone will be a nice phone, however, if all it can do is the stock canned apps that come with it, they had better be good. AND the fact they are canned and unless they open up for developers and 'make them low cost or free'.. well, then the Palm Pre is going to wind up being yet just another phone with a pretty interface.

I haven't read anything about a large community standing in line to develop apps for the pre. What have you been reading that is "contrary to this position?"

Just something I had run across without looking too hard: »www.crn.com/mobile/216402481;jse···JUNN2JVN

There are numerous other articles that suggest that the Pre won't be a walled garden.

Okay, gotchya!

"According to Palm, the Mojo SDK has only been available to a select group of partners. Now, the handset maker said, it will be pushed out to a broader set of developers that apply for access to the program via the Palm Developer Network Web site. Palm said access into the program will be limited at the offset, as the tools and systems are retooled. General availability is expected later this year."

Many have had their SDKs out there, just as Palm themselves have had before. Microsoft's window's mobile has one as well. BUT, still, iPhone's has been successful because of the app store and how the revenue works on that. Also, include the fact that there are a ton of apple freaks out there in the apple community which makes their program strong.

Take Windows Mobile. There are "partners" and other developers out there that make certain apps. I have a facebook app, google maps app, both free. Hell, to buy a game of solitaire for WM is $19.99.

It's all going to boil down to how creative Palm gets with their SDK and how many units of the Pre they can push out to see if there will be people out there wiling to take the plunge and make apps for the Pre like they did the iPhone.

The community, behind iPhone, is what makes the apps strong.