Breaking news today from Palm's earnings call, as the manufacturer has opted to place its sole focus on webOS and abandon the use of Windows Mobile as a platform. Not that it comes as a huge surprise, but the transition back to "all Palm" is kind of neat, given that it returns the company to its roots (an "all-in-one" solution, from hardware to software - just like the original Palm and PalmOS). According to CEO Jon Rubinstein, webOS feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive."
Other highlights of the earnings call include:
- Working with EA, OpenTable, Yelp on development.
- Reducing Pre to $149.99 price point said to help make webOS more accessible to consumers.
- No real answer in regards to target markets for Pixi versus Pre. Rubinstein: "Happy to have both products out."
- No comment on why Palm chose Sprint for Pixi. More products on more carriers in the future.
- Launched Pre successfully in Canada, working to ramp up excitement prior to fall launch in Europe.
- Response to Motorola CLIQ: "...have to own the OS and services." Testament to everything being 100 percent Palm again. Easy to grow/adapt.
- "Methodical plan" regarding future webOS rollouts.
- PalmOS lasted 16 years; designing webOS to last 10-15 years. Not going anywhere anytime soon.
- Will offer 16 million shares of common stock (PALM).
Source: Silicon Alley Insider
