Palm is doomed; let the good-byes begin

The world has passed Palm by, and at some point it will run out of money and disappear despite its decent WebOS products

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That sound you've been hearing -- that soft "swooshing" in the distance -- isn't anything important. It's just the sound of Palm circling the drain. For despite having had excellent carrier support from Verizon and Sprint, as well as good products, the company has once again failed to gain any real traction in the marketplace.

Let me make this really clear: There is no reason for anyone to purchase a Palm smartphone that makes sense, save a few people who hate Apple (or its iPhone), Google (or its Android OS), and Research in Motion's BlackBerry with equal passion. All three competitors are better choices than a Palm Pre Plus or Pixi Plus.

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Although a sentimental favorite and hard worker, Palm faces challenges that have only become tougher since its relaunch last summer.

Now the Wall Street Journal is out with a story that suggests the inevitableness of Palm's predicament. In the nicest way possible, it says Palm, with a mere 0.7 percent of the smartphone market, compared to 14.4 percent for Apple and 20 percent for RIM, simply can't catch up.

It also includes quotes from analysts who are reducing their sales projections, devaluing the company's stock rating, and suggest the channel finds it easier to sell Palm's competitors.

If Palm ever had a real window of opportunity -- and that is certainly debatable -- it is closing rapidly.