Could the Pre sell for $150? 25
According an article from everythingtreo last week, there are rumblings from inside the Sprint CSR machine (so take this with a massive grain of NaCl), that the Pre could be going for $150 with a new 2 year contract, or $549 off contract. The latter pricing seems a bit more realistic than the on contract price, but at this point anything could be possible. It is worth noting that pricing rumors for the Instinct bounced around $150-$200 before finally settling on $179 just before launch
Personally, I find it a bit unrealistic to expect the Pre to sell for LESS than the non-smartphone Instinct launch price (and for those keeping score at home, this would also make the Pre cheaper than the HTC Touch Pro and Diamond, Blackberry 8830, and the Moto i920 and i615), but with a turbulent economy, and both companies looking to make a splash, $150 could be possible. However, based on traditional launch prices, I'd expect the Pre to go for $179-$199 on contract, with a potential 16 GB version going for $250-$300. Needless to say, it'll probably be cheaper than what these guys are peddling it for via pre-sale. How about y'all? Any guesses as to the launch price?
(Thanks to William for the tip!)
25 Comments
The Instinct's not a smartphone? I've never used one, but I just assumed it was a smartphone (as much as an iPhone is, anyway).
IF I even consider the Pre, psychologically speaking, $150 AND committing to 2 more years of dealing with "Sprint Hell" seems about the most I'd pay within the first year of release.
Despite their claims, I am sure it's going to have plenty of bugs, it has no microSD slot (which will probably be fixed on a later model), it has a paltry 8GB memory (which will probably be fixed on a later model), etc.
I'll have to seek out and repurchase huge numbers of applications (if even possible) because Palm doesn't want to provide an emulator. Another story sez they're killing off the PalmOS, so we're being painted into a corner here.
I wish Palm lotsa luck, but $150.00 and a promise in writing that Sprint will not screw around with my plan pricing for months and months after we agree to the terms is about it for me. Otherwise, my multiple Treo 755s and no contract is feeling like a better and better option in these uncertain times.
The Treos were bought with easier money. The Pre is selling in a "sell your child's body for toast money" economy. Committing to 2 more years with Sprint or anyone else is also a much bigger gamble. We may all be living under overpasses in a year as Wall Street thieves drive above us in limos our tax dollars bought them...
I got my curve 8330 for 150 with 2 year contract when it was 1st released. However it is possible that the premier customer thing was a factor.