It's not getting any prettier for Palm
RadioShack
Losing RadioShack may not seem like a catastrophic event, but I compare it to GameStop's
Microsoft is lucky. It's loaded with greenbacks, so it can keep swinging away with the Zune until it gets things right. Palm isn't as financially fortunate, and that's why buyout rumors have been swirling since the smartphone pioneer's bleak guidance last month.
Losing a key executive won't be a dealbreaker to a potential buyer, since any interested suitor will probably come in with its own regime anyway. Losing RadioShack is a harder pill to swallow, but it was also inevitable. Palm's phones -- despite all of last year's buzz over webOS -- are fading.
I still don't think Palm is headed to zero, as fellow Fool Rich Smith and several analysts think. Plenty of companies could still pick it up at fire-sale prices and rebrand its technology. Unfortunately, fewer retail outlets and a larger number of nervous executives aren't a pretty combination.
If you thought Palm sounded desperate a month ago when it slashed its near-term outlook, it's going to be a beggar now.
I hope Palm makes it. Apple
Oh, well. Live and burn.
Do you think Palm will be acquired, turn around organically, or file for bankruptcy protection? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.