LAS VEGAS—Last week, rumors swirled of a possible Palm acquisition, and on Tuesday, TCL made things official, announcing its purchase of the Palm brand from HP.
After the HP debacle, Palm fans have every reason to be wary of yet another changing of hands, but TCL CEO George Guo wants those fans to have a little faith. We sat down with Guo to get a sneak peek at what the future holds for the storied, yet beleaguered Palm brand.
As a longtime fan of Palm products, Guo knows the value and cachet that comes with the territory. That's why the latest Palm revival will be different than the last. Guo outlined his vision for rebuilding Palm, and it starts with the diehard fans who make the brand so valuable.
Instead of corporate edicts, Guo wants to open up the rebuilding process and create a collaborative environment where user input drives the direction of the company.
No, the new Palm products will not necessarily resemble Palms from the past, and webOS is out of the picture now that it's firmly in the hands of LG. Instead, the goal is to revive the original pioneering spirit of Palm, and Guo thinks that the best way to achieve that is by opening up the process to fans like himself. When asked if there were any software plans, Guo simply noted that TCL currently has phones running Android, Windows Phone, and Firefox OS.
Think of it as a crowdsourcing effort not dissimilar to what OnePlus did with its One smartphone. Guo wants input from real Palm fans to ensure that this time Palm is here to stay. Just how will TCL do it? The details remain nebulous, as does the timeframe, but stay tuned for updates as this story develops.