Would It Be So Bad if the Palm Pre Didn’t Emulate PalmOS?
Just a short thought as I kick up my heels and rest up before tonight’s MobileFocus event. There’s talk of a PalmOS emulator on the Pre and sure, it could happen. But let me take a contrarian point of view to kick up some discussion: would it be so bad if it didn’t? Before you virtually stone me, hear me out for a second. Then you can throw stones as needed in the comments. :)
I’ll grant that there are oodles of PalmOS device owners out there. There are also plenty of PalmOS applications on those devices. But if I were one of those folks that had a PalmOS device and owned some compatible titles, I’d likely only get marginal utility from such an emulator. Why? Because in the long run, I’d want to see slick-looking updates to my fave apps so they could run natively in the gorgeous looking webOS.
Now the developers out there are cocking back their arms and getting ready to lob bombs at me too, but before you throw anything, let me ask you a question. Wouldn’t you like your application to take full advantage of all the native webOS hooks and features? If an emulator will allow you to do that (which is certainly possible), you’re set. I’m not sure that will be the case though because the Palm of today is looking forward — not backward. While Palm likely has no desire to cut off PalmOS developers at the knees, they know that the polish and shine of webOS is going to win them more customers than a crotchety-looking title (by comparison) in an emulator.
One more thought before the missiles fly. No matter how much you want to see a PalmOS emulator, will you not purchase the Pre solely because it can’t run your old PalmOS apps? I’ve seen some grumbling about losing old apps, but really: is it going to stop you? I’m thinking in many cases: no, not based on what you’ve seen of the Pre so far. I have yet to meet anyone in person or online that’s told me they’re passing on the Palm Pre because they can’t lose their old PalmOS apps.
Hey, I agree that if Palm can make it happen, it’s a win-win. I just wanted to ponder the possibilities since Palm originally said they weren’t doing this, although they’d be OK with it if a third-party offered it.
OK folks, let ‘em fly!
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
To me it doesn’t matter if older apps can’t run on a mobile phone that I had plan on getting. Yes you might miss some app that you liked in the older OS, but usually newer apps become available for the newer OS and sometimes with better features or at least it will do what you wanted before.
It sounds like a Sony-type move, didn’t Sony make the PS3 initially backward compatible with all those PS2 titles. I don’t think it worked, since PS2 is still being sold and running a PS2 game on a PS3 is just silly. I guess Palm could quickly have a catalog full of legacy apps in their new Pre app store but it would be mostly full of junkware. I say don’t waste time trying to migrate some Treo-heads to the new platform. The smart ones will move even without a legacy emulator.
Hey, I’m with you on this one… who needs all the backwards compatibility? For a few archaic programs that need updating anyway? If a vendor can’t be bothered to update their apps, I can’t be bothered to keep using their apps.
Agreed, I have absolutely no use for old Palm applications, and I bought a ton of them. That being said, there are some people for whom this is a deal-breaker, so the announced “Classic” application is only good news. I won’t buy it, but I’m sure it’ll do well.
I am a long time Palm User (GSM) Treo 600,650,680, Centro. I have bought several programs, but i would not care about backwards compatibility at all. I only hope that Palm wil get the basics right on the PRE. Esp Email, this VersaMail thing had never worked for me, so i used Chatteremail, which was extremly reliable and usefull. So i hope the email client on the PRE will work well with IMAP and maybe even for exchange 2007, or that there will be a new Chatteremail. And that i will be able to open all the most used biz docs (at leat for viewing) like word,excel,pdf,jpg,png,gif. This would be enough for me. I am tried in between Some WinMo and Nokia Phones (iphone dont work for me because of the lack of keyboard, like all the other touch keyboards), and i have always come back to the palm, because it works so much faster and more reliable and is so much less manuvering through the Menues. I hope so much that Palm will bring the PRE as GSM soon too
out with the old; in with the new.
+1 – I have bought new programs plenty of times as I moved from POS to WM5 then to WM6 Classic and now with WM Pro and a short stint with RIM and I’ll probably end up with a Pre. I only have myself to blame, not Palm or MSFT or RIM.
Why clog up a prefectly new OS with old crap?
The only good thing about PalmOS emulation would be the availability of programs like ebook readers. Applications for WebOS may take several months.
…Which is why it’s awesome that they also are starting to roll out the SDK starting 4/2.
And another point (not in response to you, but in general) is that I highly doubt Classic will be free. I’d rather spend money on applications that won’t be more and more dated as more developers release more applications.
I wouldn’t care if most of my Palm apps didn’t work on the Pre, but the two irreplaceable apps that I really need to have access to are Handyshopper and Keyring. For those, I’d run an emulator (in fact I do this on the Nokia 770) and I’ve also made a point of buying backup secondhand Palms for continued future use of those specific apps.
For those, I’d run an emulator (in fact I do this on the Nokia 770) and I’ve also made a point of buying backup secondhand Palms for continued future use of those specific apps.