Is Palm a Serious Threat to Apple

Tonight Palm announced earnings, and though they had a loss, it wasn't as bad as some expected. One of the headlines that came across the screen was that Palm's new CEO had learned a lot from his days at Apple.

So this begs the question: does Palm now pose a serious threat to Apple? Palm has been doing phones for longer than Apple (I currently have a Palm phone which I actually like a lot, and no, it's not the Pre). Sure the Pre looks pretty cool, and though I haven't used one yet, every report that I've seen seems to imply that the Pre will be the first real competition that the iPhone has seen. That's saying a lot right there.

The iPhone, which as a sort of "cult" following, needs competition to make it better. However, Palm which looks like it will be now focusing completely on the Pre may have a significant advantage over Apple. In my opinion, the iPhone's greatest downfall is it's limited expandability and the fact that it is tied to AT&T. Palm, though initiall y offering the phone with Sprint, isn't stuck with them (correct me if I'm wrong).

All in all, I think the Pre could be a pretty stiff competitor to the iPhone and that Apple should really beware of the new kid on the block.