Palm's product announcements sound more like fighting talk

Wednesday 09 September

Is Palm playing hard ball with Apple?

Palm’s announcement of its Pre iPhone-killer-in-waiting back at CES in January was no surprise – unless you count hearing people raving about Palm once again to be a little unexpected. A lot of new products get their first unveiling in the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, so Palm’s timing was not unusual.

Roll on summer, though, and things were a little different. Apple has had a well planned early June iPhone announcement schedule for couple of years running, so it’s a time most other companies avoid to not risk getting lost in all the Apple coverage. Not so Palm, which sneakily pushed out news of the Pre’s US shipping date a full three days earlier on the Friday – talk about stealing Apple’ thunder.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more unamicable, Palm has struck again today ahead of Apple’s iPod announcement later on tonight with the unveiling of its new handset – Pixi.

Once is excusable, twice could be forgiven as carelessness. But next time Apple sets a date in the diary, if Palm launches something too you can be sure that this is one war that’s going to be fought not in private but centre stage, live on the internet.