Palm Pre release date leaked

Thursday, 05 February 2009 Andrew Young

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Looks like internal documents at Sprint are too tasty to stay hidden. The Boy Genius Report states that the much-anticipated release of the Palm Pre may come sooner than many would expect. According to End of Life (EOL) documents, which are sent to Sprint employees with target in-stock dates for new model replacements, the Pre shows up with a date of 3/15. It is listed as replacing the Palm 755P, which reaches its EOL in late May. Meanwhile, the Treo Pro is listed as replacing the 800W just days from now, with an EOL in April. So if they stick to the schedule, the Pre would be in our hands in just over a month. According to BGR:

As for the handsets on the list that are not yet released, the EOL dates represent the target death of the EOL handset (in the warehouse, existing store inventory will still be sold) and the target in stock-date at Sprint’s warehouses for its replacement. In other words, these replacement devices are projected to be in stock by the dates specified so a release on or around said date is most likely a safe bet.

Should Apple start biting their nails yet? Probably not. The stock dates may be premature, but at least now we have an idea of the game plan Sprint has for their smartphones.

Get the scoop here.

UPDATE: Computerworld states that a Sprint spokesperson would not comment on the Boy Genius Report, but stated the Palm Pre would indeed ship in the first half of 2009:

"We are still stating availability in the first half of 2009," she said. "This is what we have said all along and we have not changed our desire to bring the device to our customers when it is fully ready."

For the complete EOL list, see below: (Palm's latest is in bold)

EOL List

1. Sierra Compass 597 USB - Early February - Sierra 598 USB

2. Motorola ic602 - Early February

3. LG 160 - Mid-February - Samsung M220

4. LG Rumor (blue) - Mid February - LG 265 Rumor II (target in-stock 2/15)

5. Motorola i325IS - Mid February - Motorola i365IS

6. LG Rumor (green) - Mid March - LG 265 Rumor II (target in-stock 2/15)

7. Franklin Wireless U680 USB - Early April

8. Palm 800W - April - Palm Treo Pro (target in-stock 2/15)

9. LG Rumor (black) - Mid April - LG 265 Rumor II (target in-stock 2/15)

10. Motorola i615 - Mid April