I love Palm. Years ago, I owned a succession of Palm Treo smart phones and agonized over a switch to Blackberry. Remember when that was the decision: Palm or RIM? Since then, the competition, including RIM’s Blackberries, the iPhone, various Android phones, and recently, even phones using the new Microsoft-based OS have charged ahead. Palm has not kept up.

Which is why it’s not terribly surprising to hear that CEO Jon Rubenstein had this to say earlier this year:

“We don’t pay that much attention to Apple….I know it sounds really strange…I don’t have an iPhone. Actually, I’ve never used one.”

It’s OK to not have an iPhone. Understandable, actually. But by never using an iPhone, Rubenstein admits he has never experienced one of the most popular consumer devices ever and Palm’s biggest competition in the consumer smart phone market.

Further, perhaps Palm would be in better shape if it did pay more attention to Apple, which happens to be the best marketer in any business today. Observing Apple’s branding is like attending a masterclass in consumer electronics positioning and communication.

Lessons: Pay attention to your biggest competitor, experience their products, and unapologetically study the best.