Palm Pre: The Big Day …
by John Paczkowski
Posted on June 6, 2009 at 11:03 AM PT
The Palm (PALM) Pre officially went on sale this morning, and judging from initial reports–and my experience at a local Northern California Sprint store–neither demand or supply was particularly overwhelming. Certainly, lines for the device were far shorter than those that extended from Apple (AAPL) stores for the launches of the iPhone and the iPhone 3G.
Arriving outside my local Sprint (S) store about an hour after they first opened, I found not a queue of eager Pre-buyers, but two kids making forts out of a few Pre shipping boxes left outside the store. Inside the store, I found a group of nine people waiting in line to add their names to a waiting list for the device, which was already sold out at this location. A Sprint rep refused to tell me how many Pres had been sold this morning, but admitted that the shipment had been a small one.
The situation is apparently the same across the country. The Boston Globe reports that Sprint’s Back Bay store sold out of its 55 Pres by 11 AM. An informal survey by 24/7 Wall Street reveals sell outs or fast-dwindling supplies of the device at Sprint and Best Buy stores in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Four of the five Best Buy stores I contacted reported selling out of the Pre very quickly; one representative told me his store had just four of the devices and he believed that to be the case at many other locations.
Sprint stores I spoke with in LA, Chicago and Boston told me they’d sold out by late morning.
Q: How many names on the list? A: “We’re not allowed to say.” A reader tells me that the line outside the W. Division Street in Chicago was at least 50 people long, and that the store started wait-listing people somewhere around #36. Another reader reports a line of about 20 people outside an Emeryville, CA Sprint store. That same reader claims a clerk told him the store had 60 Pres on hand. Still another reader reports that the line outside Sprint’s Market Street store in San Francisco started at 6 AM this morning. There were a dozen or so folks in line by about 7:30 AM. Finally, another reader reports that a Sprint store in San Francisco’s Castro district had a line of about 40 people when she showed up to get in line at 7 AM. That location, too, sold out quickly.
Four phones at the local Best Buy? Stores in Marin, LA and Chicago sold out within hours? Makes you wonder if Palm and Sprint are purposely constraining supply to foster an image of overwhelming demand.
Comments
This is the worst roll out of a new phone ever. All hype no delivery. I went to best buy in Knoxville Tn only to be told sold out. Why they only had 2 phones. I went to the Sprint store sold out told they only had a few phones. I have been a long time sprint customer and was holding on by a thread. Then in january the hype started about the pre so I waited and waited and then this. Disappointed by sprint again. I am over it AT&T here I come with two phones and two data cards. Sprint I hope you breath your last breath
Posted by Jeffrey Chambers at June 6th, 2009 at 4:01 pmyou guys can have mine.
Posted by David Owens at June 6th, 2009 at 6:37 pmThanks for the article John, but you’re way off, at least in the South Bay. The line at the Union City store went around the block, and the line at the in-mall store in Newark (Fremont) had a queue when I got there at 7:30.
The Newark store was supposed to open at 10 (along with the rest of the mall) but the manager opened 2 hours early to accommodate us. Staff was (mostly) knowledgeable and friendly, but seemed to tire fast.
They ran out of touchstones too fast.
Bottom line re: the phone. After 10 years of cell phone/organizer/smartphone use and 4 OS’s, the Pre’s Web OS is simply incredible. Only moment of disappointment occurred after I’d put in my gmail & yahoo info, then saw a bit of sluggishness as I flipped between cards (apps). Real buyer’s remorse at this point.
Then I realized that it slowed down because it was pulling in all my calendars/contacts/ etc. Love this phone so far. Still trying to break it.
The hype was worth the wait.
Posted by Ben English at June 6th, 2009 at 6:41 pmGreat phone, McNamee was not kidding, the phone is at least twice as fast as the iPhone. The UI is innovative and the phone feels much more at ease in your hand. The ability to multifunction is incredible. I don’t know what else I could have asked for without being unreasonable. Unless the iPhone can produce some magic in the next few days the Pre is going to gnaw away at the infallible iPhone. Only a fool would say the iPhone 3G is better than the Pre. What Apple might do in the future is unknown, however what Palm might do in the future is also unknown. So as you can see the question goes both ways. As a betting man I have no qualms betting on Palm’s success after seeing what they did with the Pre. Once people begin to see the phone it will begin to sell itself. The phone is an awe inspiring device, especially when you compare it to Apple’s iPhone.
Posted by darius arya at June 6th, 2009 at 6:52 pm@darius arya
Posted by Wanton Zep at June 7th, 2009 at 3:31 amThe phone is at least twice as fast as the iPhone – never heard a statement more stupid than that
Jeffrey, this blog told you there was going to be a shortage of Pre’s. This blog also hinted that Apple was either going to cut the price of the iPhone or come out with a cheaper version.
Why couldn’t you wait a week before buying 2 iPhones?
Apple hurt those that waited in line for the 1.0 iPhone when it came out with a better and cheaper 2.0 version. Perhaps the Pre customer will be wiser.
Posted by Jeff Stevens at June 7th, 2009 at 4:51 amEspecially if their employer will subsidize it for them.