After all the speculation, reading of tea leaves, and consulting with mediums and prophets, the end of waiting for Sprint's Pre launch may be near. According to an email from Sprint detailed at PreThinking, Sprint employees can expect to begin training on the Pre in April.
This news, along with Sprint's recent ratcheting-up of Pre marketing, is more evidence that the launch may be merely weeks away, if not sooner. Then again, given that we at PreCentral.net are still expecting the Pre to launch in May, there would be only weeks left anyway. Officially, "First Half of 2009" still includes June.
Is anybody else starting to suffer from Release Date Speculation Fatigue?
Comments
> Is anybody else starting to suffer
> from Release Date Speculation Fatigue?
I believe this has become officially known as "REcurring Timing And Release Date Speculation" Syndrome.
Jeff
I am actually not suffering from Release Day Speculation Fatigue (R.D.S.F., smartphone journalists should make this acronym official somehow), because I need to save up the money for the full cost of the phone because I am not waiting until August to get my contract anniversary discount of $75 from Sprint. I expect it to be $399 with no contract renewal discount.
More like $550 retail, and $200 after full discounts.
^This.
Hit Sprint's website and check the unsubsidized prices of the other smart hardware. $550 minimum is pretty typical. Even for top-end BlackBerrys, iPhone, etc.
Hope its in May, maybe May 17.
My thought is that it is becoming more and more difficult for companies to give hard dates for official release. With how complex the hardware and software has become - coupled with all the partnering they try to do prior to release so there are good Apps at launch means it is very easy to promise and then fail to deliver.
This way they get all that crap worked out and then promise it a month out so there is less margin for error.
Just my thoughts on it. Of course it doesn't make me feel any better. I just want the damn phone already :)
"Is anybody else starting to suffer from Release Date Speculation Fatigue?"
Oh God YES!!!!
Oh, come on. "REcurring Timing And Release Date Speculation" Syndrome is *such* a better name.
One of my students parents is a software engineer for sprint (i'm in OP)... He has a pre... He said he was sworn to secrecy but he did say that it wouldn't be this month... but soon....
Precentral... you're spot on for may.....
contract is up may 1st... w00t!
My guess is it will be in mid-May barring any last minute showstoppers...
Evidence (and some conjecture/reasoning):
-Sprint's April handset list was leaked and Pre wasn't in it.
-Sprint is starting their advertising campaign now as they would be expected to do 4-8 weeks in advance
-Forums noted that internal Sprint Pre advocates are being assigned
-Forums note that Sprint is cancelling employee vacations for May
-This info about Sprint training
-Leaks that a wider beta test is underway (possibly a final beta) - the Twitter CEO story
-MotionApps call for applications for Classic testing to be made by April 10
-Demos of most 3rd party apps expected to ship concurrent with the Pre. All appeared to be solid and work well in demos.
-Instinct 2 launching in mid-April - Sprint wouldn't want Pre too close to this.
-Apple's new Iphone is going to come in June so Palm/Sprint would want to avoid launching it then (harder to break through the chatter)
-Financials - Palm needs to avoid a launch right at the end of the quarter to avoid having no good news to tell investors at the next quarterly conference call. Having a (hopefully) good launch before that call means they can brag about delivering the platform and Pre shipments even though their financials still might not look great (due to deferred accounting rules similar to those used for Iphone).
Upcoming Evidence still not seen:
-Leaks regarding manufacturing ramp up
-Leaks regarding mass shipments to stores
-Key 3rd party apps not demoed yet - Facebook and Dataviz Docs2Go, for example.
-An FCC approval (though supposedly could be kept private)
-An official announcement (though I'm guessing it is probably coming within the next two weeks)
Open Questions:
-Some discussion about Sprint having to remodel stores for the launch - would this take more than 2-4 weeks?
-Are any apps/software not ready to go?
-Ed Colligan discussed in the last quarterly conference call that hardware was still being polished - what changes could that have been referencing? Anything other than a ROM flash update could possibly delay the rollout
i have hope for this rumor!
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