Rumors: Radio Shack EOL's Pre & Pixi on Sprint (Update: Confirmed) 72
We heard a couple of weeks ago from an anonymous tipster that RadioShack might End of Lifed (EOL) both the Sprint Pre and Pixi - but, you know, we weren't sure how we felt about the rumor. Today, however, All Things D saw the writing on the wall, er, web page today, noting that the PRe and Pixi are gone from RadioShack's site and nearly gone from physical stores.
We'd like to think that this portends that the Sprint Pre and Pixi will get plussed, not that The Shack is no longer interested in webOS. That's probably just blind optimism in these dark times, right?
Update: Several readers pointed us to this WSJ story confirming the rumor - looks like Radio Shack is dropping webOS devices in favor of other devices:
"I understand that the Pre will be replaced by a BlackBerry product and Pixi will be replaced by a messaging-centric device," said Sprint spokeswoman. "These are very logical changes to newer models from Sprint."
Thanks to anonymous tipsters!
72 Comments
What is EOL?
End of Life
EOL= END OF LIFE
I got my first Sprint phone at RadioShack ten years ago and haven't used them since. They are hardly experts.
I dont know who you went to but i know my stuff. hell a lot of the employees that work for cell phone companies now once worked for radio shack. Obviously i work there and yes they have discontinued the palm pre and pixi for what ever reason. It figures, people finally start to want them and we DONT sell them anymore...come on now.
Costco where I live doesn't carry it for VZN. I yelled @ them.
One thing that was not mentioned in the posting about the SVP leaving was all the money that was paid to 2 senior presidents to keep them. This implies a buyout is not near as employees have tons of stock and would want to stay aboard if a higher buyout was nearing(posting this here as it involves RUMORS).
Not sure they'd stay if a buyout was expected, the Sr.s are usually discarded. I think they'd like to look stable and staffed. $250k isn't all that much for guys that are already wealthy. Also, if they have tons of stock, it's not tied to them punching a clock at Palm.
it also looks like the link from precentral.net to buy it is gone. What's with that?
I think it was because the phone they were receiving were breaking left and right. i have seen plenty of post about the Radio Shack Pre's being faulty or just plain breaking in two... (Oreo effect).
Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but I would assume that ALL Pre's, no matter which carrier have been coming from the same manufacturer, so Radio Shack would have nothing to do with build-quality, and Palm wouldn't segregate their corporate buyers by who built the phone.
True
Technically, mfive...
Buyers like RadioShack and BestBuy don't go to the manufacturers... they go to the same seller that you and I go to -- the carriers.
So, if Sprint unloaded all their phones with Pre-October build dates to RadioShack, it's highly possible that there were still a few floating around until now.
This is why I made sure that the buyer I went with had the freshest batch of Sprint Pres, instead of just going with the cheapest, which was Amazon...
- http://forums.precentral.net/palm-pre/211212-sprint-users-if-you-bought-...
Seems more than plausible to me that Sprint recognized the quality difference people were talking about, as I chose to recognize, and offloaded ALL of their older batches to RadioShack. But ya never know for sure...
heres a thought. Maybe palm pulled the phoned from radio shack. They admitted making mistake of not training verizon reps properly...which resulted in poor sales backing at verizon stores. They are putting a training program together and executing with att now. They may have pulled webos from radio shack because they can not afford to train them too... And they can't afford to have sales reps who don't know anything about what makes webos amazing....selling .
I'll go sell them. =D I have all my training from using the device, plus I've successfully pitched them to a few people.
Shack handles all carriers, they might be alligning with VZ/Plus instead. I would if I were a retailer.
Most Shacks do not carry Verizon. We dropped them three years ago.
Ok thanks. Do you know if the carriers buy spaces in the display? Or does RS pick out what they want to showcase?
Maybe they are getting ready for the C40
The good news is that enough people bought them from Radioshack for them to run out of stock.
It's something...
Look, I'm a palm fanatic, and I love my pre... but to see the Palm Pre and Pixi PLUS come to Sprint would be depressing. There money and time should be invested elsewhere (like with a new phone...)
I'm on Sprint, and am a day 1 Pre user.
I would NOT upgrade to a Pre Plus. The extra ram and extra hard-drive space just are not worth it. I've only used probably a gig of my memory on my current Pre, and have never felt like I *needed* more RAM.
Bottom line: Pre and Pixi Plus are not worth upgrading to on Sprint. Pixi plus, MAYBE, because it has WIFI... but the Pre... no way.
I'm hoping Sprint has something better up their sleeves, or unfortunately, I may start keeping my eyes peeled for Android phones, as much as it kills me. =(
Couldn't have said it better. I'm sure that Palm wouldn't do that to us Sprint Palm users. If they do just release the plus versions for Sprint, that just means that they've totally given up on innovating.
They had better be working on new hardware, because it's looking more and more that they'll remain an independent company and in charge of their own destiny.
I'm a 6/6/9 buyer as well, but I would love a Pre Plus. However, I want something more, as well. I want a next gen phone promised by 6/6/10, not just a Pre Plus.
I totally agree with you..I'm a 6/6/9 owner too...I want new hardware and better yet Palm needs it to survive.
teemed, i agree with you. I'm also a 6/6/9 pre owner and i really love the webOS but they may force me to leave that love alone and look for something else if there is no anouncement for a new palm webOS for sprint soon (by June 2010). This is in two months from now and nothing has been mentioned about that but i'll still hold my breath till the end of June and i dont want no pre+ for upgrade. Its either a new webOS phone or i move on.
I am also a 6/6/9 buyer, and I have to ALSO agree. I would not upgrade to a Pre Plus, it would have to be something better- faster, larger screen, better keyboard, better battery, better + zoom/macro camera, *SOMETHING*.
I also agree that if Palm does nothing else but push the "+" versions on Sprint in two months, they have given up and the game is over. WebOS is great, but without great hardware, it isn't going to survive. The other handset models will roll right over it.
And if they don't have ANYTHING new to offer to the slew of renewing Sprint customers on 6/6/10, the damage might be irreversible.
Then it will be time to look at the Evo :(
Not that it would be a BAD idea to have the "+" versions on Sprint, but that should have already happened by now and it is not a suitable substitute for a Pre2.
I meant "their money". I hate those typos!
But anyway, yea, I agree.... New hardware is extremely important to remain innovative and on the edge of technology. It's the ONLY way they can compete with the Android phones, Blackberries, and iPhone. I know it's not easy, and I know Palm is pinching pennies, but I won't buy a repeat of what I have. I love, love, LOVE webOS, but I need something that's going to test the limits.
I don't see it possible for Palm to have a new phone by 6/6/10... I just don't think that's where their head is at right now. But, it certainly would be a pleasant surprise.
I think it could happen I mean what else could be workin on? The whole company can't be lookin for a buyer or whatever that for the ppl at the top. The company aint shutdown and we only got like one or 2 real updates this year and the phones gettin released across seas & att been around already which leave a bunch of workers gettin paid for nothin which I doubt will happen so they gotta been workin on another phone and doin a great job on not leakin info on it. If not realsed to the public, itt will at lease be a prototype roming around somewhere
I agree 100 percent. I love my pre and I as well am a day 1 user but if we dont get some better handsets or even the word that one is on the way than i may be forced to pick up that htc evo coming out.
.
That makes sense for you, and customers like you.
However, for those of us who wanted the Pre on Sprint, but were under contract to another carrier at the time, it would be meaningful to have the Palm Pre Plus on Sprint.
I was under contract to Verizon until November of 2009. At that point, the Pre had been out for several months, and there were rumors of a new device.
Lo and behold, the Pre Plus came out on Verizon, but for me, that's a problem: I want to leave Verizon.
However, I didn't want to buy the old Pre on Sprint, and still don't.
It's near the end of April 2010 as I write this. I really want to move to Sprint, and I'd like to buy a Pre, but I want the newest tech at the time of signing on with a new carrier.
So, I'm waiting. I hope that June will bring an announcement of some sort of new hardware. I'm sick of waiting, though. I don't have a smartphone, and, in the tech biz, I need one.
If Palm doesn't have something new for Sprint by that time, I am strongly considering going with the Evo. If I do go that route, naturally Palm will announce something a week later. :/
Yes, however I'm in a different situation. My old phone contract is finally up and I'm agonizing over staying with VZ for the pre-plus because of the bigger memory vs. switching to Sprint for the lower monthly cost. Currently I carry a old "dumb" phone, a separate MP3 player with 9GB of memory that is always full, and a Palm TX with a 2GB expansion card at about 80% full so I think I would like the bigger memory if I'm going to combine all three functions into one. If Sprint comes out with the pre-plus that makes the decision easy.
Of course if palm had put a micro-SDHC expansion in the thing from the get go it wouldn't matter.
With all of the cloud-based services out there for hosting your documents, music, media, email, etc. I've never once felt like I needed an SD card slot.
The only thing I really use the Pre's memory for is a little bit of music and apps.
The Sprint Pre needed more RAM from the get-go. It should have been the Plus version from the start, and I would upgrade to it from my standard, release date Pre in a heartbeat.
Rolls out red carpet for next Gen Pre & Pixi.. Oh Yeah!!!
I almost got a job at Radio Shack last year, and it would be epic to be there now pitching WebOS phones to people. Sad day indeed.
I hope the EOLs imply new Sprint WebOS devices are on the horizen. I would love Rubenstein forever.
Most the current stocked Pr? are Plus if I'm not mistaken, I doubt that Palm produced SO many regular Pr? that they STILL have more than enough for Sprint to sell. I think that Sprint has run out and Palm is going to supply them with stockpiled Pluses instead of making regular ones. That way Palm moves the current inventory through another channel and Sprint can make second surge with the Plus to lock up any un-upgraded contracts while getting ready for the 4G Pro/C40 that Palm is working on.
They have an exclusive contract with Verizon, so no that is not what is happening my friend.
How exclusive can it be with AT&T getting the Plus?
That exclusivity period end eventually...my friend.
I believe Palm has stopped mfg. The reg. Pre & Pixi leaving the remaining for the "launch partner" Sprint.... and thus radioshack EOL'd it cause of inventory. No loss because it will be also avail on verizon and at&t... @ radioshack.
No surprise for me; I bought my Pre a month ago, and the guy at the Shack was pushing Android like a robot: I would say "Pre", and he would say "Hero."
The $64 question, like everyone's saying, is whether there's anything new on the horizon. Given the way Sprint's treated Palm phones like old fish, I doubt it.
Palm Pre: the new Tungsten C.
I dont see any value on "plus-ing" the sprint pre... I'd never upgrade to the plus, it just makes no sense. If they kill the Pre @ sprint, they should come up with something up to the current standard, which was set by the HTC Evo. Although I personally wouldnt like such a huge screen, something in between the Evo and the iPhone should do. Plus all the other specs of course
I think it is a good thing that pluses are coming to Sprint. People who want plus versions can/should be able to get it on Sprint.
This will mostly affect new buyers thus does not affect existing userbase. Palm NEEDS bigger userbase.
At the risk of hopping on another cranky anti-RadioShack vent, They were the *last* walk-in merchant store to carry the the Pre in my region and gave extensive false prior-to-launch expectations of inventory at my local store. Luckily I have a Sprint store literally a block away, who kept my name, and actually called me to follow up with customer service initiatives from my local store.
RadioShack rarely had the exclusive on any decent smartphone I'm aware of, other than whatever they're pushing that week.
If I were Palm I'd focus on vendors who might at least bother to market the brand.
I think it is a good thing that pluses are coming to Sprint. People who want plus versions can/should be able to get it on Sprint.
I'm also a Pre user since day 1. I'm holding out hope for a next gen phone soon also. I love my Pre but love being on the cutting edge. My optimistic hope is that Palm has a next gen phone & WebOS 2.0 on the horizon but that they're keeping it really quiet so that they don't have a repeat of the 6 month wait after CES '09. That was entirely too long to wait & also allowed competitors to catch up (apple with its universal search & android with multiple things) It is possible to keep it quiet. Remember how Palm kept their secret in '08-'09 & surprised everyone at CES '09.
C'mon Palm! I have faith in you!
I dont see how The Shack stays in business. If your rebuilding a transistor radio, I guess I would go there for the parts. Everything else is overpriced. They were the last store to get the Pre and the first to dump it. Im guessing they never really had a large inventory to start with.
Gives me a chance to link to one of my favorite Onion articles of all time
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/60924?utm_source=onion_rss_daily
>If your rebuilding a transistor radio, I guess I would go there for the parts.
No you wouldn't, because they stopped carrying most of the important electronics parts a long time ago :(
small anecdote: I have had terrible luck with B&M tech store clerks, but the best I've ever encountered was a radioshack guy in wethersfield, CT. We chatted about plasma vs. Lcd (intelligently) while he replaced the IR leds on an older womans logitech harmony gratis. I shit you not I thought I had died the night before and was in heaven.
if the Pre Plus comes great!! I've been a user since day one, and I don't see any harm in a Plus on Sprint. Why?? Well reason being, my current Pre still does everything I want and more. I used to be the guy who had to have the latest gadget and toy. But WebOS has made my device more of a tool, and frankly it gets the job done and very well. My main concern is Palms standing and how they are able to continue to do biz and push innovation. I would love to come 2 the end of this 2 year contract with a 2nd gen Pre that can do 2 x more
if the Pre Plus comes great!! I've been a user since day one, and I don't see any harm in a Plus on Sprint. Why?? Well reason being, my current Pre still does everything I want and more. I used to be the guy who had to have the latest gadget and toy. But WebOS has made my device more of a tool, and frankly it gets the job done and very well. My main concern is Palms standing and how they are able to continue to do biz and push innovation. I would love to come 2 the end of this 2 year contract with a 2nd gen Pre that can do 2 x more
Doesn't surprice me, a week ago my friend that works at Sprint. Said that at their most recent rep meeting they were told that palm was bringing something new in the next few weeks. They called it the Palm refresh , I'm hoping it's the C40 not just a Plus version.
I hope that is legitimate and they are not talking about the pre+.
palm "plussed" the centro on sprint a year into it's life as well. So it's not outside the realm of possibility.
I hope it's a full on new device, though. Not worth extending the contract for the plus only.
Radio Shack is also "For Sale" (ironic), might be some "Mini-Best Buys".
http://www.streetinsider.com/Mergers+and+Acquisitions/RadioShack+(RSH)+Up+As+Takeover+Talk+Heats+Up/5540154.html
Our Sprint Rep verified with us the other day that Sprint is getting the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus within the next 2 months. He also stated that he has never seen the mysterious C40 in the system and that those fields are actually editable so someone could easily change it and take a screen shot to start rumors. It's also possible that the C40 is just the Pre or Pixi Plus. As a side note he also said mobile hot spot is coming along with the Pre Plus and it will be free like Verizon.
The mobile hot spot on sprint pre/pixi is a great news but having the pre/pixi plus as a new device on sprint is just too sad.
I'd love to believe this, but this is something easy to say with no proof. I don't know if I see Sprint offering the free mobile hotspot. I'll believe it when I see it.
Radio Shack just added the IGo tips for the Palm Pre and Pixi. This suggests to me they are planning on having them available in the future.
Love that hot spot news.
Well the truth is the Palm Pre and Pixi on sprint are EOL devices they already have the Plus for other providers when do we get are damn turn... Call it what ever for sprint and give us the updated version...
i really hope sprint gets a new webOS device and then hands it over to vzw and at&t after
I tweeted about this 10 days ago. The RS near my house had already sent all their Pres & Pixis back to Sprint by then. The manager seemed to think that new hardware was just around the corner. I doubt they'd release anything new before AT&T gets their WebOS phone, though.
Didn't Jon mention in an interview that new hardware was going to "take time"?
I'm not holding out hope for a new Palm device anytime soon.
I'm leery of everything Palm right now. All the question and rumors of low phone sales and Palm being sold have to be weighing in on developers.
We may find ourselves with a superior but stagnant OS unless something is done to get people interested again. It just isn't happening.
If something was being released soon we would've seen it at one of the big shows this year instead of just AT&T phones at Palm's booth.
Android is making big strides, new devices, new apps. Everybody wants an Android device now. The last person I recommended the Pixi to bought a damn Storm2!
In months WebOS will be in a vegetative state just waiting for the feeding tube to be pulled.
It's really sad and depressing.
I hope I'm seriously wrong.
Most Radio Shack shoppers are not smartphone buyers. Since most Shacks have done away with their hobbyist electrical components, the average Shack shopper is no longer a geek and is just needs a basic phone. The average age of the shoppers I see in my local Shacks is about 70 - 75.
LOL @The Greatest Generation & The Shack, together Till Death Do Them Part.
Yeah, I agree with fr4nk1yn. There's too much of a backlog of Pres to be talking about a Pre 2. Further everyone who bought a Pre on ATT or in any of the other new markets would be pretty pissed if a month later Palm came out with Pre 2.
I think that Palm's plan is too launch on as many more carriers that they can (with Pres and Pre +s)all while working on Pre 2. This gets their foot into a bunch of markets. JR stated that it will be much easier in the future to launch devices now / once they are in more markets because they will have their relationships firmly established.
I think everyone wants the Pre 2 to hit this summer but I doubt it will as the above stated conditions won't be in place. Further instead of trying to launch WebOS 2 (you know what I mean)/Pre 2 against Iphone and Android phones in the summer they might want to launch at a time where their message doesn't get as diluted. What am I saying? I bet we don't see a Pre 2 for about another 6 or 7 months. Maybe in time for holiday shopping. Course I hear new Windows 7 phone then too but still probably better to square off against Windows than the other 2.
-smdx-
That's right along the lines of what I was thinking.
Advertise webOS(2.0?) with all it's stregths (properly) around the World Series and launch Palm Pr? 2/Pro/C40 around Thanksgiving to ride the holiday shopping wave.
I don't see why RadioShack gave the boot to pixi, it is meant to be a low cost smartphone, a perfect phone to sell at radio shack. I understand why the Pre since the pre is more pricier, and plagued with more problems. I guess there must have a huge wave of returns or something for them to make this decision.
Palm Really need to release a new device soon or they will be falling far behind on the smart phone race. The new HTC and rumors about a new iphone: please palm make us proud.
I had this on NPR news (88.5FM) this morning on my to work. You check it out your self.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125346139
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126126339
http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone