The order page for IBM doesn't indicate that it's a true, you're gonna get one, kind of Pre-order, but when you get an email that states "We are currently taking Pre Orders for the Palm Pre," it seems promising. We've also heard from an anonymous AIG employee that the custom purchasing site for them also features the Pre quite prominently in a sort of pre-order context, bu again it's still not entirely clear it's an actual pre-order.
On the consumer front, we've received more than a handful of reports from people who say their local Sprint store managers have taken their names for a waiting list. Sprint's official line is that it'll be a strictly first-come-first-served affair, however, so getting a guaranteed Pre on launch day could be pretty difficult. It seems clear that there will be lots of different policies store-by-store as different managers try to deal with the massive interest in the Pre. At least some of our Palm Pre Forum Members have head claims that they'll be able to pre-order the Pre.
If inventory levels are going to be as thin as the current rumors indicate, we expect that folks will take any angle they can get to grab one. What's your launch day plan?
[Originally posted at precentral.net]
