How many mobile operating systems will thrive?
Palm has introduced WebOS along with its sleek new Pre handset. Based on early reports, there’s a lot to like about WebOS. Case in point, unlike the iPhone, WebOS supports multitasking. How refreshing.
WebOS is entering a crowded space. Here’s my list of major mobile operating systems:
Apple iPhone
RIM BlackBerry OS
Microsoft Windows Mobile
Google Android
Palm WebOS
Nokia Symbian
Rightly or wrongly, my list ignores in-house smart phone OSs such LG and Samsung, as well as Linux, being used on a number of phones.
Palm is late to the web phone (and the phone OS) party. By the time Pre ships, it will lag the first available Android phone by about nine months.
Unlike Android, based on what we know, Palm does not intend to license WebOS to other handset hardware manufacturers. That’s not a bad thing — it’s a model that made RIM and Apple wildly successful.
Microsoft and Google do not make handsets, they simply license their OS — and in the case of Microsoft — applications.
Will all six of these operating systems survive and thrive? It’s possible, although Palm has the toughest hurdles to overcome.
Remember the Foleo “companion” device Palm started to launch then aborted? My gut says that WebOS will be used to power netbook-size computers as well as slick web phones such as the Pre. A smooth, seamless interface between a web phone and laptop would be pretty sweet.
Palm may shrivel up and die. Or it may be the next RIM. What do you think?
Please let me know. rjeffries [at] gmail [dot] com or http://twitter.com/ronkjeffries