Last week we were a little bummed to report that our longstanding best guess as the to Palm Pre's Release Date appeared wrong. See, our guess went a little something like this: "As soon as humanly possible, organized PR be-damned, just get the thing out the door, maybe May 17th is possible."
Then we heard that Buzz-out-loud co-host Natali Del Comte knew the exact date. So we were wrong. But now we're right again, see, because Del Comte has chimed in during the latest episode (Jump to 29:25):
Well last week I went running my big mouth about the fact that I did know when the Palm Pre was coming out, but I wasn't able to say, and then I got an email from Palm and they said "The date you think it is is not right, we don't know yet, it's being changed." So that's what I get for speaking out of turn. So basically the answer is "We don't know, we thought we knew, and we don't."
Ah, bittersweet vindication.
More than the above, though, we're also heard from two anonymous sources that Palm has pushed back the final firmware update for shipping handsets.
Bottom line: While May 17th is still your earliest bet, it's increasingly looking like a moon-eyed optimist's bet. But hey, we're moon-eyed optimists. At least we know that Palm will make their First Half of 2009 target, only 72 days left in that window.
Comments
Palm. Enough. Somebody stole my Treo 680. I'm using some POS Nokia. Just put out the damn phone already, this thing is torture!
Lol, I feel U, I downgraded to a treo 700 from an HTC Diamond to use until the damn phone comes out.
Any updates on when new releases are coming out?
cd rates
If only Palm could update the Pre like Apple updates the iPhone firmware. iTunes works great for my iPods. Palm, please learn how to send firmware to the phone!
They've already announced that it will include free OTA updates. They can push out any update they want, but I'm sure they want to clear up as many bugs as possible FIRST. They don't want people having errors and bugs right out of the box. That would make for some bad reviews/articles/unboxing videos!
My Treo 800w has free OTA updates but the process is terrible and I have to go find the updates. Is this Pre OTA update any different? I expect not.
You're right, the Treo 800 is just like the Pre... A flagship device which has the potential to anchor not one, but two companies. Of course the OTA process will be different, that's basic common sense. Also, Palm said the Pre will stay current with any and all firmware updates.
This is ridiculous. I don't care where the hold up is. Palm if this is a Sprint problem you need to release an unlocked GSM version available for purchase on your website right now. For god sakes at least start taking pre-orders. If the problem is on your end you need to start actually living up to your own hype about how you are a new company and start acting like one. Just release the freaking phone and send us updates over the air as you get your bugs fixed...
Who is a new company? Palm? They've been around for ages (well, in the digital era)... making portable devices is what they do.
No, man. I wasn't saying that Palm was a new company I have had their phones for years (ever since the Treo 180). I was referencing the fact that they are trying to find their way back into the market with new devices and a new OS.
wow...you're a genuine genius
I'm getting fed up...
don't you ever get enough of this rumor bullshit? do you need some more news that bad, that you can't stop posting rumors after rumors?
Unfortunately, it looks like the main reason for secrecy about a release date is that there is none. They are THAT far off. It is THAT far off.
Guess what? It turns out that Palm CAN'T do in months what it took Apple years to do. We should include the two years that the iPhone has been on the market because the competition is an iPhone 3.0, not the iPhone of two years ago. Palm probably touted features that it really can't deliver on 100%.
One can imagine, at this point, that Palms version of the App Store and other associated parts of the webOS ecosystem are WAY off because we haven't hear a peep about that yet. People around here seem to expect that all this will be ready to go at launch. Not likely.
"Guess what? It turns out that Palm CAN'T do in months what it took Apple years to do."
Palm is not trying to do this in months. They have been working on the Pre and WebOS for the last couple years... building it from the ground up, perfecting it. They've said so in their presentations and in their demos.
Exactly, when I see people touting the iphone as if it's the end-all-be-all device, it only makes them look ignorant. Especially since the next generation "OS 3.0" is just now getting features other devices have had for years. You're correct, webOS has been in development for 2 years, I believe the code name was "NOVA."
I have been with palm for many years and I and most others here can vouch for the fact that jsh347's claim that Palm has been working on this OS for years is 100% true. Shortly after Palm sold Palmsource to access there was talk of developing a new OS and that was more than 2 years ago.
Also I can't get over how many fanapples (had to make up my own word just to express how retarded this is) get excited over cut and paste like it is some game changing feature. My Treo from 7 years ago could cut and paste so maybe you should put things in perspective a bit. It took apple 2 years to get cut and paste and that is not counting the original development time. Feel free to knock Palm all you want but don't claim apple is any better!
Darn, this is the wishlist phone I've been waiting for the last 2 years. PALM, I'm sold !! Get it on single release in multiple countries(make sure Malaysia and Singapore is right on your list too;we're drooling here.....). Iphone & Blackberry is so passé.
Palm.....don't need to mull,
Updates can be through auto-call,
My excitement about to stall,
Launch it soon and then stand tall,
With multitasking, Synergy, et al,
Make the rest look pretty small,
One gadget may see the rest fall,
One phone to rule them all.
HOTCHC 2009
"We can't let this enthusiasm and passion go wasted"
Maybe it is just a safer bet to get some other phone to replace my phone with a cracked screen and dead battery and wait another two years for the newer webos phone that comes out later :(
I was holding out because I was under the impression that I would know the exact date soon, which would be soon. But it is not worth it always waiting for the better device cause then you would never buy anything.
why would you want a bug-ridden phone? you saw what happened to the BB storm & its rep. as long as the release is b4 end of May its good. all those complaining should be glad they have something to complain about as Palm could have easily been dead now & your choice of smartphones would have been winmo, bb, android, or iphone.
True, but so far all the demos have shown a phone that I could easily work with. Anything after this point (besides a real epocrates update, not this emulation crap) is just icing on the cake... So if they had a GSM unit available for purchase right now I would buy it in a heartbeat. I am going to be so annoyed if I find out the hold up was entirely on Sprint's end. It would still be Palm's fault though. They should have had the option to go with a different carrier or sell an unlocked model if Sprint wasn't able to get their act together...
Another rumor about a nonexisting release date getting pushed back. Now that's some hard hitting news that I can sink my teeth into. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to hear which Hollywood star gets the Pre next.
Palm and Sprint are still holding on to their promise of releasing the Pre first half of the year.
If you're getting pissed off, irritated, agitated, or whatever ;then buy another phone. Nobody's holding you down.
As for me, I will wait.
Patience is a virtue my friends.
Just because we are getting upset doesn't mean we would rather have another phone... At least not yet anyway. But I am starting to question whether or not the Pre is worth the switch to Sprint. If they don't get this phone out during the first half I am seriously going to have to question whether or not I would like to switch to a company that couldn't pull out all the stops for its own flagship device...
Do tou think palm should wait until after the new iphone drops, like BOL said? They are kind of right about releasing it now and the sales only last a month or so until iphone 3.0 comes out then the buzz is over. On the other hand we want to think the opposite, that it will come out and wow the iphone users so much that they switch. It's a good debate either way.
If Palm does manage to release the Pre in late May or early June, Apple is just going to give those people who are trying out the Pre enough time to come back to them within that 30 day window and try out their 3rdGen iphone. And that's not good.
Just to add to the speculated date...
I called Sprint yesterday to ask whether I would get a better deal at the store OR through telephone order (not that I want to wait an additional week or so for deliver). However, I am a long time customer who is at end of contract and I want to get best deal possible.
So, here is what the rep said... take it with a grain of salt...
First: she had a heavy accent and when I told her I was planning to get the Palm Pre she kept calling it the Palm Pray.
She said "that phone is not yet available you will have to wait till the later part of June"
Has anyone else called Sprint to see if their reps know anything. I've contacted them twice within the last two days and both have said the release is being pushed back to July.
I hope it is soon because my battery for my BB Pearl is on its last legs. It can barely hold a full charge for a whole day. I do not want to go out and get a another one and spend $50.00 when i can use that money to get the nice new holster for the Pre instead.
The one that was shown on this site last week or so.
Saturday Sprint called me for the fourth time since the Pre was announced to ask if I wanted to sign a new 2 year contract (my last contract ended in December). I obviously refused and told her that I was waiting for the Pre unless another new phone that meets my needs comes out first. She then told me that the Pre wouldn't be available until the end of June. I really think my first webOS device will be second or third generation.
It is sad to say but at this rate I am beginning to worry that Palm won't live that long...
at this point with all these rumored release dates, im starting to care less and less for this phone, yes i would want nothing more than to have it, but cmon waiting until the announced deadline to put it out?? sprint better get a something for this going very very soon or watch as alot more customers leave
Agreed. Palm is shooting themselves in the foot with this one, one of the worst marketing campaigns ever. I was willing to jump ship immediately upon release of the Pre, but if Palm and Sprint continue the non-communication practice they have adhered to thus far, or wait until after the end of May to release, I will wait until mid-summer to evaluate new iPhone. I don't care about service price since corporation is picking up the bill. While this is definitely not my first choice I am in the market for a phone, not smoke and mirrors.
I think they will wait until the last possible moment in the first half of the year to release the phone which would end up being june 24.
I am trying to understand everyone's anger? This is so strange to me! Apple had one announcement in Feb of 2007 and didn't say anything until around Jun 2nd! ALMOST 4 MONTHS of tight lips! Palm has had a 3 month period of demos, displays, SDK delivery, a TON of video etc and people are all up in arms about the fact that the don't know a date. The vast majority of people don't have any idea about this phone so they may be right on time with their marketing, right?
It is funny! "blah, blah, blah, Well I guess I'll just have to buy a another phone blah, blah, blah", "I Palm your PR sucks, wa, wa, wa,". Please get a grip people and have some adult patience!
It seems to me that maybe people are angry because they want this phone to do well for Palm and Sprint and that is very dependent on the release date. It may already be too late to avoid the iphone beating but then again wait until after the new iphone drops and they might have a better chance. Just my opinion
Exactly. The more popular the Palm Pre is over other smartphones the more application developers will adopt WebOS as a platform. If iPhone 3.0 is released in the same timeframe many early adopters will be lost to the tried and true product. That summarizes my frustration.
To the previous poster - Palm has released two videos, and virtually no updates whatsoever (outside of "Coming soon"), since January. The videos we see are taken at various trade shows. One would think that a manufacturer gasping for air would be more communicative. As mentioned above, this screams of disjointed marketing and communications plan, which may well be the catalyst to push Palm under.
What is disjointed about their communication? It seems to be the same message. We will release in the first half of 2009? They will communicate a date when they have one? The only people talking dates are in the blogosphere. My man point was that this is not unprecedented, Apple did the same in 2007 and did just fine. This angst is peoples own conjecture about Palm’s ability to take on iPhone 3G (possible new model), when Palm should get the jump on the competition, etc. They have clearly stated time and time again “IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2009”. So we have until June 30th after which you can call Palm/Sprint out all you want. But right now just chill out and wait for the phone or buy another phone if you so choose but don’t claim it is Palm’s fault for you not waiting!
The main difference is Palm has the Iphone being released around the same time. The original Iphone had no competition when it was released.
Can we at least confirm that they are at carrier testing? Are we waiting for Sprint or for Palm?
And:
It is funny! "blah, blah, blah, Well I guess I'll just have to buy a another phone blah, blah, blah", "I Palm your PR sucks, wa, wa, wa,". Please get a grip people and have some adult patience!
This.
i would really like to have this phone already...i've been with sprint for about 10 years... i've had my treo700wx for about 3 years or so and its heavy and bulky and worst of all it has that big hard antenna... my contract with sprint has been up for more than a year and the only reason i stayed with sprint was because i wanted to get the 800w...(but for obvious reasons i didn't)... then i waited for the touch pro to come out and it was too expensive...then the treo pro came out but it's little centro-like keyboard was a deal breaker for me and here i am now, waiting for this phone to come out.... needless to say if for whatever reason i don't get this phone (i'm not paying $300 with a new contract after rebates) i'll be saying goodbye to sprint.... for that reason i can't wait much longer for the price to be announced... i could be spending this time looking for another phone on another carrier
Please. at least spell Natali's name correctly! It's Del CoNte, that's pronounced CON-TEE, like con-vict.
The release date will be June (26-28), 2009. If it's latter consider it delayed, if it's sooner then it's your early birthday present. Until then, CHILL CHILDREN...chill.
I've been waiting to get this phone before i get a winch for the jeep but if i don't hear anything by may 1st i'm getting the winch first :P
Just spoke with a Sprint rep (who cold-called me to modify my service). I asked for a Pre date and price. I was told "June." And "$200-300," after whatever sign-up/upgrade rebates might apply.
Here's a grain of salt you can take this with --> .
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh... like really it is getting sad. i check the web like every hour to see if there is something new... and nowdays it is always a rumor. i am getting sick of the waiting game. this is around the time that they (palm and sprint) should be giving some actual information. i can care less what apple did in 2007 and how no information was given because guess what THEY DIDNT HAVE TO!!! exactly who were they competing against... nobody!!! palm has a lot to lose and im not upset because they have not done what they said they were going to do (they told us first half of 2009 and that has not passed). its more so just a WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?! kind of a situation... they have a now two moth window to be the hot new thing and grab as many people as they can and they are letting that slip away. if you think that they can actually go against apple in so far as advertising you are being ridiculous. [true story: i tried to convince my aunt who has an iphone that the pre is up to speed w/ the iphone and can even do some things that the iphone cant i wasn't trying to knock it i actually like the iphone its just not for me and she has never even seen the pre or anything about it but was totally convinced that the iphone was better that the pre] <- that is literally how good apples campaign is, it has people convinced that is the end all be all of cell phones and if palm is prepared to go against that they should be prepared to get there asses handed to them. i am just kinda ticked off on the whey they are approaching this.
sorry palm its not 19(fucking)90 anymore
you are a tad behind
lets get realistic
=/
First it's "couldn't" care less (just a pet peeve). Second it does matter what Apple did in as much as there are a lot of people that still have no idea what the Pre is. That being the case they are not late with marketing. Just a few facts for you: the majority of people have dumb phones, meaning there are a lot of people to sell too, the iPhone is BARELY 1% of the headset market, meaning there is TON of room for Palm if they have a great headset, 3.0 and a new iPhone can come out and there is STILL TONS of room. Once Palm does start advertising I think things will start to move in their favor. Remember they don't have to beat Apple to do very well. The Pre can be another option especially with Sprint's great plan prices and AT&T's ridiculous prices. There is just so much room out there man!
haha i guess your right... i wast just mad because my aunt thinks the iphone is like the best thing that has ever happened... the only objection to your comments i have is that they still need to get this moving because regardless if they are 1% or 90% of the phone market the iphone is still their competition [but now that i think about it that is kind of me just wanting that 1% to be palm instead of the iphone]. sure they can coexist but why allow your competition the opportunity to steal potential customers from you when you have a month or two where your phone could be the only new hot thing on thing on the market. i guess thats just me though... haha o yeah and "couldn't care less" i dont know what i was thinking... sorry about that i am usually good with how to structure those kind of things =]
I was wrong about Apple's Market share they are 10% of the market which leaves an anemic 90% for Palm to try to fit into LOL (some of which are already palm users). I still believe if and when they get their marketing campaign on the road they will shine!
I just hope I can get a webOS device before Palm goes out of business...
lets be optimistic =]
fingers crossed they survive
Take this for what it's worth, but...I was in a Radio Shack today and they were messing with the Sprint cell phone displays so I joking asked if they were getting it ready for the Pre. They said they wouldn't get the Pre until after the Sprint stores had it, but they confidently claimed they would have it in May.
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