Apparently shipments of the Palm Pixi from Compal Communications in Q4 of 2009 will total 600,000 smartphones. The original order of 800,000 Palm Pixi handsets was reduced according to an article over on digitimes.

The reason for the reduction in quantity of Palm Pixi smartphones is apparently part of the webOS software failed to pass tests carried out by Verizon Wireless, and shipments of the Palm Pixi to Verizon Wireless will be delayed until Q1 of 2010.

So it looks like the Palm Pixi is failing with Verizon before it’s even reached them. Verizon appears to be Palm’s big hope for webOS in 2010, but with Verizon apparently focusing on Droid handsets they may not even shift 600,000.

Perhaps Palm has something up their sleeve they can pull out during CES 2010; otherwise I can see Palm and webOS slipping further and further behind in the smartphone market.