Now the fight gets ugly
Palm, which has a very
effective iPhone killer in the market place, has just appointed the bloke
behind the Apple iPod to be its new CEO.
Jon Rubinstein replaces Ed Colligan
who is stepping down after 16 years with the company. The announcement
will send a shiver through Apple head quarters. Although Mac fanboys have a
problem believing it, it was Rubinstein not Jobs who was responsible for the
iPod's success.
Rubinstein began at Apple in 1997 as senior vice president
for hardware engineering. He helped lead the rollout of the iMac and later
headed up the iPod division. With him behind the wheel at Palm, which has
a technological advantage over the iPhone, Apple could be in trouble. The
Palm pre costs $199 and syncs with the iTunes music store just like an iPod
or iPhone.
Rubinstein is currently chairman. He has been doing a sterling job
getting Palm the technology needed to take on his former employer. The
Palm Pre runs on the Sprint network in the US and is already a sell out.
Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse said last month he expected demand to outstrip
supply early on.
Colligan is joining the private equity firm Elevation
Partners.