Palm essentially founded the smartphone market. But after a decade of gradually quicksanding themselves and with the practical overnight sensation of Apple and the iPhone, it was clear the tides were turning.  Or were they?

With the help of a few former Apple employees, Palm turned their near death into a mere near death experience, announcing WebOS and the Palm Pre which instantly became the latest and greatest mobile desire. And it MAY be the first phone more desired and/or bragged about than the iPhone. And Apple knows it.

Without mentioning Palm by name, Apple COO Tim Cook made it very clear that they knew the scenario: “We like competition, as long as they don’t rip off our IP, and if they do, we’re going to go after anybody that does….We will not stand for having our IP ripped off and we’ll use whatever weapons we have at our disposal [to make sure that doesn't happen]. I don’t know that I can be more clear than that.”

Whether or not Apple will sue Palm is impossible to guess and whether or not any intellectual property was infringed upon is impossible to know as well. But even if Apple doesn’t plan on litigating and even if Palm didn’t copy a single stinking thing, its clear that Apple is digging in and saying, “We are the originators and Palm is the imitators.”

Both are originators in their own right, but in somewhat different eras. Now the two worlds are colliding in a OG meets Young Buck kind of way if you know what I mean. Is Apple vs. Palm the newest of tech rivalries that will consume us for the next 5 to 10 years?

We hope so, because competition fuels innovation and we like what these companies are doing. We can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with when a permanent fire has been lit under their tushes.