The next six months will be the perfect time for customers dissatisfied with the original iPhone to purchase the new Palm Pre smartphone, according to prominent Palm shareholder Roger McNamee.
The new Pre device, which is expected to be released in the first half of this year, is designed for the same demographic as iPhone customers, according to McNamee.
“You know the beautiful thing: 29 June 2009, is the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone,” McNamee told Bloomberg. “Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later.”
McNamee, co-founder of Elevation Partners, says the latest device will attract iPhone buyers because they want the “coolest product on the market”. The new Palm Pre boasts a touch screen, slide-out keyboard and wi-fi capability.
Once on top of the smartphone market, Pre lost prominence due to the rise of BlackBerrys and iPhones.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
