Palm Pre Release Date Update
Sprint CEO Reiterates Planned Palm Pre Release Date First Half (by June) 2009
Although hopeful rumours that the next generation Palm Pre smartphone might be released as early as April (see Palm Pre Release Date) continue to float around the fact is nonetheless that the official ETA is still thought to be “around June”.
In a recent interview with RCR Wireless, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse nonetheless provided us with a little bit more information:
RCR: Speaking of handset selection, let’s talk about the Palm Pre. How long will Sprint Nextel have exclusivity on the new device?
Hesse: We haven’t commented on how long the exclusivity period lasts. Palm and Sprint have agreed that we won’t comment on that.
RCR: Is there a scheduled release date?
Hesse: We haven’t announced that. The plan of both companies is to have [Palm Pre] on the market in the first half of the year. Obviously when you’re bringing out a new device with this level of sophistication and functionality there’s a lot of work required.
The guys at Palm are working 24/7 and we’re working 24/7 to bring it out as soon as we can, but we’re not going to bring it out until we’re really confident that the launch is going to be really successful in terms of how it operates. Of course to be able to produce the devices we want to make sure that there’s enough. Clearly it’s going to be a device that’s going to be in high demand and it is going to be in shortage no matter when we launch it, but we don’t want it to be too early where there’s only a handful of Pres in the whole country.
We want to make sure that we can also have production ramped up at a reasonable level before we launch the product. There are a lot of variables that go into when we’re going to launch it. But both Sprint and Palm are very focused on launching as soon as we can and our target is to launch in the first half. There are also no price details yet.
Reading between the lines of Hesse’s replies I am thinking about:
- Exclusivity: although we had rumours that the Palm Pre is a Sprint exclusive for the whole of 2009 (about six full months after launch) it’s evident that Sprint has no incentive to let people know when they might or might not be able to find the Pre on another carrier.
- Intentions vs. reality: the Palm Pre is not ready for prime time _right now_ but the intention is to have it ready by June. The reality is that some things “might” still go wrong with that plan thus pushing the launch date.
- 24/7 Work: it’s clear that both Palm and Sprint have a LOT riding on the Pre and that they want and need a flawless execution.
- Demand: few doubt that the Palm Pre is the hottest new smartphone due in 2009 and given the level of excitement that it has already garnered Palm must be preparing production of a few million units to meet demand – something else that “may” delay its launch.
I _really_ hope that both Palm and Sprint will nonetheless be able to deliver the Pre to us without any delays but I have to admit that the recurring delay in the launch of the Treo Pro gives me pause for concern…
Sources:
Dan Hesse Q&A [RCR Wireless]
Preonauts want their Sprint Palm Pre ASAP… 
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Comments
This cloak and dagger price issue is starting to really bug me.
But, hey, I'm now running TealOS Launcher http://www.tealpoint.com/softos.htm, on my trusty Treo 680 so who cares?
The gap between the excitement of CES and the grand revelation of price has pretty much killed the anticipation for me, and portends that it'll probably be too expensive for me anyway.
So, as I've become accustomed after all these years running OS5, I'll just have to continue to make due.
Thanks Andrew, but many "Preonauts" DO NOT want a Sprint Pre ASAP....many of us feel it is necessary to (maybe) wait until a better service provider picks it up. I'm not going to pretend I have been with Palm since the begining of time-I started drinking the cool aid when they first offered the 650 with Verizon...and due to the lack of meaningful improvements to the subsequent Palm OS Treo models, I still use my 650 with a "battered" badge of honor.
-HOWEVER-
I don't think I can wait another year while Sprint gets rights for the first 6 months at least (probably longer judging on the decision-making with Palm over the past several years). I have been reading this blog for so long, I don't really know what else is out there. This blog has provided many comparisons to other units (thanks Andrew), but because of Treonauts my biased ideas of a smartphone didn't allow me to really do my own research on what else is out there.
If this world was to go to hell based on my decision to go back to Sprint...grab some icewater folks, because it's about to get a little toasty!
And lastly...
...I will bet anyone one dollar (it's a recession) that Palm pushes back the release past June.
HURRY dangitall. I want Christmas in March, not June. Guess I'll pay for that TealOS license after all. Heyyyy.... Palm and Teal wouldn't happen to be in cohoots, would they?
Correction: "Preonauts want their Verizon Palm Pre ASAP...!"
If release date is june, isn't it then a tad premature for expansys and superetrader.co.uk to list the palm pre in their webshop. It's not yet in stock, but still. 15th march ;0) I've seen it with a price tag at 500£ with no strings attached...
with all of the hype for this phone it seems to have been a bit premature if the release date is so far off in the distance. As if to get everyone all worked up about the Pre and then say, nope you really gotta wait awhile. Just seems like too much time between the initial showing and when it's going to be available. How big are they gonna let the Pre bubble get? It's either gonna burst or slowly fizzle to a limp baloon again.
I reiterate my earlier bet(s):
Apple will release its third generation iPhone before Palm ships their first generation Pre - which will be significantly more expensive than the iPhone.
Goinh round and round with sprint; after having the same number for 15 years, as they purchased me from GTE mobil net in houston... today with the 800W i currently have the problem with the first two replacements came back to haunt me... So calling the *2 customer support i told of the issue and "Customer Retentions" informed me the PRO will be out on the network by the 15th os March... the Pre will arrive April 15th. I really do not like Sprint but have to most awsome number and them not letting me port it to another carrier totally sucks... hope this info helps ya'll
You seem to be having trouble reading between lines. This is a MAJOR launch of a new platform and new software upon which the companies' future hangs. They cannot bend over and crap cell phones. They need to perfect the hardware and sofware for a successful launch, test it, and ramp up production. They have to train CS personnel to deal with the new system. It doesn't have to be perfect but it can't have any defeaters and they dare not disappoint. It's easy to type blogs. It's hard to build millions of good phones, plans and support networks. I'd rather they delay until after June than sell hastily made crap. There are also corporate finance issues for these large corporations to pay for the roll out. How would you feel about a rush to get you on the first commercial flight of a new airplane???
Release date for the Palm Pre WILL be May 11th.
This is direct communication from Sprint's corporate headquarters to the store where I am associated.
I am looking forward to this pre phone too however, I do not understand why the Palm company would build such a high tech phone and leave off the Video Camera, expandable SD card, and also the phone to modem option like the other palm phones have. That makes no sense to me at all. It is nice to have a video camera on the phone, and evey phone has one, even the cheap phones that are not pda and yet they create such a lovely High tech phone as the Palm Pre and leave out the Video Camera. I think they should seriously add that feature on the phones. Don't You?
There was so much negativity regarding the Pre not having any removable memory capabilities, such as a micro SD card. Does anyone know if this has any impact to the launch delay? Just a thought? Or has it been previously stated that it would not incorporate such a feature?
The bubble has burst. I am not waiting around anymore just to find a release date. I'll just get an iphone.
my contract has expired with sprint recently and i've been waiting for this phone to come out for a while and i'm getting pretty tired of waiting...i'm about to just give in and get an iphone!
I agree. They hyped this phone up too soon. I am not waiting any longer. Off to buy an I Phone.
I got tired of waiting for a phone from Palm that turns out to be CDMA and not the PDA Phone it use to be. See ya Palm your doing 10 in a 65 mph zone. I bought a iphone to try for 30 days and well.......bye bye palm
Can this be true? Just finished watching the TV show 24 on FOX. Now this show has been using sprint phones on the show for a while. They had a commercial tonight about #s and at the end of it they said 4G coming soon, after they showed the 4G... They showed the Palm Pre... WOW!!! could the pre be 4G? Is that why they are taking forever to release it? Plus during the show, they showed what looked like an instinct, but doing video phone calls. I heard a rumor that there is a new instinct coming out and I know with 4G, there is the possibility to do video calls with the 12mb download speeds!!! Can this be????
No matter the release date, Palm isn't ever going to compare to a Blackberry! So keep pushing the date back guys!
"Thanks Andrew, but many Preonauts want their Verizon Palm Pre ASAP...many of us feel it is necessary to (maybe) wait until a better service provider picks it up."....LoL sprint is the most dependable service out there they have the best 3G as of now...verizon wow what a joke treo junky....SPRINT/PALM FAN FOR LIFE
"I bought a iphone to try for 30 days and well.......bye bye palm"
Why the hell would you buy a iphone ?
If you couldn't wait on the pre then the HTC Touch pro is 2x the phone the iphone will ever be
All smartphone pretty much do everything all the rest do, but the Pre will do more, faster, better. It's like the difference between going online with WebTV vs. a computer. All other smartphones will seem ancient.
bye bye palm bought an iphone and well.....it makes you look like a fool
Uh, yea,I'm sure they feel really 'foolish' because they lost one impatient customer....only one fool here, and, well, represent buddy!
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