According an article from everythingtreo last week, there are rumblings from inside the Sprint CSR machine (so take this with a massive grain of NaCl), that the Pre could be going for $150 with a new 2 year contract, or $549 off contract. The latter pricing seems a bit more realistic than the on contract price, but at this point anything could be possible. It is worth noting that pricing rumors for the Instinct bounced around $150-$200 before finally settling on $179 just before launch
Personally, I find it a bit unrealistic to expect the Pre to sell for LESS than the non-smartphone Instinct launch price (and for those keeping score at home, this would also make the Pre cheaper than the HTC Touch Pro and Diamond, Blackberry 8830, and the Moto i920 and i615), but with a turbulent economy, and both companies looking to make a splash, $150 could be possible. However, based on traditional launch prices, I'd expect the Pre to go for $179-$199 on contract, with a potential 16 GB version going for $250-$300. Needless to say, it'll probably be cheaper than what these guys are peddling it for via pre-sale. How about y'all? Any guesses as to the launch price?
(Thanks to William for the tip!)
Comments
My guess would be the $199 with 2 year contract and mandatory everything plan.
Didn't Ed mention that it would be more than the iPhone at CES?
My guess is $250 with 2 year contract.
They must be very careful about the pricing - not from a making money perspective - but from a "let's get it right the first time" perspective.
Remember the press reports about how pissed-off early iPhone adopters were about the price drop soon after roll-out? Well Sprint can't afford that type of trouble. If they appear to be jerking around their customer base (even more than they already have that rep), then people will wait for the other carriers.
In this economy, you can't price too high and you can't be too low. My suggestion - $224.99 w/ 2 year contract. It's under that $250 barrier with a little breathing room. The monthly connection plan should be $79 or less.
If Sprint is serious about drawing back customers, this is how they do it - make it attractive and the folks will come in droves.
A deal like that would make me consider the device from Sprint because without GSM, I am really on the fence about this device.
Just look at the lackluster adoption rates of the GPhone. How long can Palm allow itself to be tied to Sprint's failure to churn-in customers? The pressure will build on Palm to get that GSM model out on AT&T very soon.
Sprint has got to step-up aggressively.
Any chance Palm will come out with the 16GB version of the Pre at the same time the 8GB version comes out?
My thought is...who really cares? 150? 199? Does it matter? What matters more is the monthly plan. When AT&T can charge 75 (lowest..only 500 texts) to 172 (unlimited everything and includes taxes)a month?
Sprint's of course is undecided on SERO..so let's leave that out. Assuming you need an "everything" plan you start with lowest (75..but unlimited text) to 99 (unlimited everything).
Family: Sprint's unlimited data/text plans start at 129 (1500min) to 169 (3000min). 189 for two to share unlimited everything a month.
AT&T? 159 (including text at 30 a month) a month gets you 700min to share between two lines. 239.99 gets you 3000 min to share. There is no unlimited family talk share plan.
Bottom line...i have the individual everything plan from at&t right now and i'm paying 172 a month. I can go to sprint and pay about 108 a month i assume after taxes. It's about 70 dollars difference per month. Even the family plans have gaps that big.
70x12 = 840 or so more per year on AT&T. So are we still going to debate all day on whether the Pre costs 150 vs 200 vs 299..etc. Even if i paid 400 for the Pre, i'll still come out way ahead with sprint in less than a year.
Exactly, sadly a lot of folks will not understand that they can potentially pay close to $1000 more a year on an ATT plan. I am on the Sprint $169, 3000 min Everything Data Family plan, I am a corporate customer I receive an additional 15% discount off the plan each month. I have 6 voice lines and 1 mobile broadband data line, the 1st two voices lines are typically free in that plan however, my account is a loyalty account, I only pay for one of the add-a-lines at only 9.99 a month. My data line is $59.99 (unlimited) a month which includes a 15% discount each month as well. When I see people complain about Sprint (not you) it makes me laugh, Sprint does take care of their customers. I also want to point out that included in the everything plan is, the Blackberry service (at no additional cost) as well as SprintTV, Picture mail, MMS, TxT, GPS-aGPS, internet, Unlimited Nights & Weekends starting at 7pm, nationwide long distance and no roaming charges.
Come on, you should know from the iPhone's "Twice as fast, half the price" ad vs. the reality that few people consider the price of the plan; all they care about is the price of the phone.
Bottom line: If it costs more than the 8gb iPhone, it's going to fail. It should undercut the iPhone and be $179.
The Instinct's not a smartphone? I've never used one, but I just assumed it was a smartphone (as much as an iPhone is, anyway).
Alot of these touch screen phones now a days look like smartphones but actually arnt. I am not for sure the critera that makes a regular phone a smart phone but LG is a good example. I read an article a few months back that said they are going to finally release their first smart phone, hard to believe coming from LG but I guess looks dont make a phone a smartphone lol.
LG has a WinMo phone on ATT.
They are marketing the pre as the "tween" Blackberry and Iphone...the Curve is 79.99 (two-year-Verizon) and the Iphone is 199.99 (two-year-AT&T) so 149.99 sounds about right... haha hope this logic holds because personally i'm in between the Iphone and the pre when my plan is up and price of phone (and then monthly charge) would be a big point for me...
I'm still of the opinion that Sprint needs to be aggressive. If you're proud of your faster network, have more coverage, better digital connection and much cheaper prices, then go after AT&T.
And with the Pre, Sprint shores up the one weakness they had..having a killer phone since the time that palms were very popular. I don't think its a coincidence that when treos started falling in popularity, so did sprint.
It wasn't too long ago that people cringed when hearing the iphone would be on AT&T. It's simply remarkable how AT&T's image has changed since then.
And JMO, i don't think you let others set your price point and certainly not the iphone. I firmly think it needs to be between 250-399. Price does imply quality and position still. And market your strengths and go after em.
I paid $250 with a new 2yr contract for the Sprint Mogul. I would have to guess that the pre would be cheaper that. I wouldn't expect the phone to sell for $150 that sounds to cheap. The CPU they have in the unit is top notch. $150 wouldn't even pay for the hardware.
IF I even consider the Pre, psychologically speaking, $150 AND committing to 2 more years of dealing with "Sprint Hell" seems about the most I'd pay within the first year of release.
Despite their claims, I am sure it's going to have plenty of bugs, it has no microSD slot (which will probably be fixed on a later model), it has a paltry 8GB memory (which will probably be fixed on a later model), etc.
I'll have to seek out and repurchase huge numbers of applications (if even possible) because Palm doesn't want to provide an emulator. Another story sez they're killing off the PalmOS, so we're being painted into a corner here.
I wish Palm lotsa luck, but $150.00 and a promise in writing that Sprint will not screw around with my plan pricing for months and months after we agree to the terms is about it for me. Otherwise, my multiple Treo 755s and no contract is feeling like a better and better option in these uncertain times.
Hey Mod,
Instinct actually launched at $129...
I would never go to AT&T best coverage my ass! They're overprice like verizon but with shitty coverage! I rather go with Sprint than AT&T
miles - Ed said that they wouldn't sell the Pre for less than the iPhone (something to the effect of "why would we sell something better than our competition's for less that our competition?"
I'd not expect it to come in below $199. I still can't believe I paid what I did for my 755p...
The Treos were bought with easier money. The Pre is selling in a "sell your child's body for toast money" economy. Committing to 2 more years with Sprint or anyone else is also a much bigger gamble. We may all be living under overpasses in a year as Wall Street thieves drive above us in limos our tax dollars bought them...
i think the cheaper the better to get their customers back.. 120-150 with contract.. and about $500 with no contract only on sprint.. just so sprint can get their customers and palm too
Not even the worthless Instinct started that low. Sprint and Palm have no reason to price this thing any lower than $199 with a contract. That's the intelligent price point.
What about the apps for the pre?
I got my curve 8330 for 150 with 2 year contract when it was 1st released. However it is possible that the premier customer thing was a factor.
$179-$199 for the 8gb. If it costs more than the iPhone there won't be a review of the Pre that doesn't mention it. Can't you see the reviews: "It costs more than the 8gb iPhone, and Palm doesn't have a 16gb option available yet."
If Palm tries to market the "it costs more up front, but our plans are cheaper" then it's going to fail. Not enough people are going to pay attention long enough to understand it and not enough people are going to trust Sprint. They want a good deal now and a deal they can see, and that means a good upfront price.
I'd expect the Pre to go for $179-$199 on contract, with a potential 16 GB version going for $250-$300. Needless to say, it'll probably be cheaper than what these guys are peddling it for via pre-sale. How about y'all? Any guesses as to the launch price?
boediger
Does anyone think they will make it manditory to have the unlimited data plan? iv'e talked to some people and they said probably not..but im not sure.
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