The New York Times has published an article looking at Palm's disadvantage in the smartphone market. Although the article cites the appeal of the new Palm Pre, the NYT notes the lack of third party software development as a key component to why they lag behind the competitors, namely the iPhone.

"But in a world crowded with iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones, success for the Pre — and possibly the survival of Palm itself — is going to take a lot more than a well-designed device.

These days, it is all about the apps."

See the link below for the full article.