As the new webOS device gets polished and closer to store shelves, rumors abound as to the release date that Palm has kept under tight guard. Boy Genius first reported on leaked EOL documents that pegged the device around May (replacing the Treo 755P). We've only managed to slightly narrow it down, as the official word from Palm is continually "first half of 2009" (so much that a commenter on Precentral shortens it to "FHO 09"). The official word suggests a June release date for the Pre. So will the Pre be on track, arrive early, or keep us waiting until December?
With Q1 winding down and with the latest leaked Sprint documents, we can narrow it down to Q2, but which month? Through the process of elimination, looks like it won't be in April. Engadget Mobile has found another document from the inside, this time Sprint's product roadmap for April. And guess what? No signs of the Pre.
Another, perhaps more disturbing rumor came in today. The Chinese-language Commercial Times (via Engadget) reports that Compal Communications "will be forced to postpone its shipments of smartphones to Palm from mid year to the end of the year."
"Palm's two smartphones will be delayed as Compal is waiting for Qualcomm's new chipset solutions that will enable better performance."
While this may be cause for worry, here are a couple reasons why it is probably pure speculation. First, in response to the revised Q3 revenue loss, Palm CEO Ed Colligan was quick to point out that the release date was still on target. This was just days ago, and we should expect Palm to officially dispel the rumors. Second, Taiwan-based Chi Mei is reportedly gearing up to manufacturer the OEM handset, who have no dealings with Compal. Finally, the Pre uses a TI OMAP processor (see specs), so it is unlikely Qualcomm would be involved in the chipset. We will give an update when the official word comes in.
UPDATE: "Palm still expects to ship the new Pre smartphone in the first half of the year", a Palm spokesperson said in response to a query from Barron's. Guess there's no reasons now not to expect the Pre by June.
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