Sprint is kicking off an exciting little contest that'll ultimately award two lucky winners with their very own
Pres,
Touchstones, and one year of
Simply Everything service -- pretty awesome stuff. Both Sprint and Palm have been famously tight-lipped about pricing for the Pre thus far, but using a few basic calculations derived from the game's legalese, an eagle-eyed tipster pointed out that it seems that we can probably get within a few bucks of the full retail price. Here's the deal: we know that Simply Everything runs $99 a month. After federal taxes, FCC surcharges, and some fudge factor for local taxes, you're looking at, say, $105 to $110 a month. We can say with some confidence now that the Touchstone itself
will run $69.99 at retail -- and that leaves the Pre itself. Sprint's rules say that the prize package's approximate retail value is $1,800, so if you subtract $105 for the plan (since Sprint can't be factoring in local taxes here) and $70 for the Touchstone, that basically leaves you with a nice, round $469.99. That sounds like a big number at first, but first off, very few folks will be paying $470 for a Pre -- they'll either be upgrading or adding new lines at a significant subsidy -- and to put the number in perspective, AT&T charges $549.99 full retail for the BlackBerry Bold. We're basically just thinking out loud here, but $470 seems like it'd give Sprint plenty of wiggle room to blow this thing out on contract, doesn't it? Check out shots of Sprint's mind-blowing contest for the ages after the break.
[Thanks, Jonathan]
posted May 13th 2009 6:11PM
Seems reasonable to me. I paid more than that for my Touch Pro.
Damn, $470 unsubsidized is ridiculously cheap.
I payed $75 for mine subsidized.
but then again I'm Jewish and I have a hard time paying retail.
That sounds resonable.
I would think they would have a $200 instant savings (with new contract) and a $100 mail-in rebate (sprint does that a lot) putting it just shy of the iphone at $169.99 which is a pretty solid price.
@Amrosorma: Yeah, that would be ridiculously cheap. I think a wiser estimate would've been $70 for Touchstone and $100/mo for the Simply Everything. That'd leave $1,800 - $70 - $1,200 = $530. And THAT sounds about right.
Just give it some time, wait for the early adopters to move on to the next big thing and in six months you'll be able to pick one of these phones up for much less than you could during the initial release period.
@ Chris Ziegler
The answer to your equation is clearly 1.32 radians
Hopefully Sprint and Palm can do this right... Don't screw it up, guys.
Id pay that.
@Rocky
I paid more than that for my Treo 650 back in the day! :)
Hm- the Nextel BlackBerry Curve 8350i runs $479.99 off contract, $149.99 with mail-in rebate and contract. If they used a similar rate of subsidy for the Pre, then it would be what, $140? That'd be astounding, I think... Though, that doesn't factor in the "Early Adopter Charge", the 8350i has been out for awhile now.
That wasn't meant to be a reply, sorry.
So, what are you saying you think it'll be...~$270?
Sprint smartphones have $180-$320 of instant savings, most of them being $250 or so, and then a $100 MIR on top of that. Figure the $250 into the Pre, and you get $220 - $100 MIR making it $119.99.
Highly unlikely, but at least we can say we don't think it will be more than $200 after rebate.
Actually I'm thinking it'll be under $200 before rebate. Anything more would be suicide compared to the iphone/storm/g1 pricing.
Logic win.
Yea, still buying it the day it comes out, don't even care if I don't find out the price till I walk into best buy.
Diddo
I think Azlo meant "diddle". As in "diddle" when he gets his Pre.
Dido uses Pre as a dildo and he'll do ditto.
Sweet, so a subsidized price at $250 is possible. That's the price point I'm hoping for.
I'd imagine it'll be less than that. 199.99 at the highest
Agreed. This seems enough info to reveal there's slim chance of this being over $200 after full rebates and a good chance it might even hit $150.
Compared to a lot of other phones off-contract prices, that isn't that bad!
to clarify:
So, what are you saying? That you think it'll be...~$270?
"AT&T charges $549.99 full retail for the BlackBerry Bold. We're basically just thinking out loud here"
Stop bitching about the BlackBerry Bold. How much does AT&T charge for a full retail iphone???
What are you talking about? Seriously -- I wanted to give a roughly equivalent device for comparison's sake, and I wasn't interested in using the iPhone for a number of reasons. Not hating on the Bold's price. As we both know, no one actually pays $549.99, and we need to point that out to make the argument that the $470 figure doesn't mean much either.
Seriously, WTF? are you people NEVER happy?
How hard will it be to activate the pre on verizon... this topic is very relevant to my interests
I'd go with somewhere close to impossible
I've never had problems activating other carriers phones on Verizon, but I've heard others haven't had any luck.
I payed more for an Xperia! If the Pre comes at this price, it`s going to be my next phone!
HAHAHAHAH you bought the Xperia? sorry to hear that
only 2nd degree approximation? tsk tsk
Calculus... the nightmare still haunts me!
Then you should sleep well, as this is just analytic geometry.
Probably optics, by the look of it.
@Mio: Good eye. Looks to be a weak approximation of diffraction angles.
@Mio: Good eye. Looks to be a weak approximation of diffraction angles.
The rules of the sweepstakes also says that the drawing will be made on or around May 26, 2009. Does that give any confirmation about a release date some time in June?
But the contest ends on May 18th, one day before the rumored announcement in the WSJ.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2civb5.jpg
The fact that it ends May 18th is more interesting to me than the 26th date. I don't know what it means, but it does line up with the WSJ 19th date, so...that's potentially something.
The winners are picked on the 26th and will be contacted within 5 days. That brings us into June. When you bring shipping into the equation, the June 7th release date still holds it's ground.
:(
I don't think they would have everyone sign up, hoping for a free Pre, and then release it before the winner is selected.
Everyone would wait to buy on the one in a couple million chance of winning a free one.
Wait, wait.. so equating lines 3 & 4, λ = sprint?
Yes, but then you've got to solve the second order differential equation for y, whilst ensuring the boundary conditions for the eigenfunctions of theta don't collapse the wavefunction and destroy the universe.
You're humanity's only hope.
Hand me my math-ing pencil.
Lol those equations don't actually make any sense, they're just a bunch of random algebraic expressions
Just wondering what that strange symbol after the 'm' means?
@LondonConsultant
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's the sprint logo!
@r3loaded: They look like something yanked out of an optics textbook's interferometry chapter.
I tipped this I tipped this!
Thanks for cleaning up the tax work, Engadget.
I would probably end up paying retail and I think $470 is a fair price based on what other phones are at.
Do you see what you've brought us to, Palm? Are you happy now!?
Well, I entered. LOOOONG shot, but you never know. I currently have a Centro on Sprint under SERO ($30/mo). Figured I wouldn't get a Pre as it most likely won't be available on my plan. However, I'll take one for a year if it's FREE!!!!
insanely long shot
Do you think they allow you to enter more than once?
nevermind, read the rules. One entry per email address.
Despite the math, I'm betting the full retail price will be more like $550.
Looks like we're getting ever closer to release then!
I'd like to know where I can sign up for this contest!! I cannot find it anywhere......why tease us!!
@Jeremy
I hope no one hates me for posting this, but why not. It's a long shot anyway :-P
Here's the link for the contest I got in an email: http://www.palm.com/us/emails/pre/email-migration.html?sssdmh=dm13.202952
Good luck!
Click on the 'read' link, stoopid, and work it out yourself
Well, I'm already entered! But seriously, this price is GREAT news. But I wonder what it'll cost at places that don't deal with the MIR...
Problem is if you buy it off contract you cant use it with any other provider other than sprint correct?
@Benson
The Pre will be gas powered, I guess?
Pretty much. Their network technology is incompatible with pretty much every normal phone around the world (GSM). I'm really hoping for a price and release info for the GSM version. Otherwise, the Sprint version is good only for their own customers and those of one or two other phone networks.
Ok iPhone as low as $99
Pre $470!?
So if I want 4 iPhones $400
Or 4 pres $1900!!!!!!!!!!
So with this said will pre be a huge success?
Or will iPhone v3.0 be a huge success?
Will pre break zero to 1 millionrecord set by iPhone on july 11 2008.
When gas was $4.60 a gallon here in California?
I'll bite....
Unsubsidised price vs. subsidised price.
iPhone unsubsidised price = $599 or $699.
iPhone = $599
Pre = $470
4 iPhones = $2396
4 Pres = 1880
Is any of this sensical or relevant?
Are iPhones $99 new?
No.
To both.
Wait, so you compare the contract price of the iphone to the non-contract price to the Pre?
If you look at Guru's posting history, it's easy to conclude one of two things: he's a dumbass or he suffers from a mental illness. Either way he deserves our pity... right?
And phones have _what_ to do with the price of gas in California?
It's still cheaper than the price of the first iPhone...which was subsidized with a 2 year contract. And those $99 iPhones are used...not new, or refurbished, they are used.
the first iPhone was NEVER subsidized.
stop feeding the troll guru!
Dude ... what?
haha
Short version:
There's a contest. You can win the Pre and some other stuff. Legal requires they say the value of the prize. We know the value of everything else in the prize pack so we can now confidently guess Pre's price.
Anyone else notice that the Sprint store and MySprint are both down since about 10 mins before the email about the free pre?
Yeah I get a big fat server error.
Wait for it, people are now going to say Sprint is copying Apple.
Hey try to log into My Sprint. At the bottom it says we get a free ringer! OMG!!!
Actually, I have never bought a ringer so I don't care.
I just entered the contest successfully and got a page telling me they will contact me if I win.
Then I told my wife to register with her own email address and cell number and she got this msg:
"We are sorry, but all sign-ups for this event have been filled. To ensure you receive future communications on once-in-a-lifetime Sports, Entertainment, and Music events from Sprint, you can complete our e-mail form."
Anyone else register after this time getting this error??
Nevermind! NOW she tells me she had already registered :P hah
Marry her again
I doubt Sprint figures in taxes n shit for their estimate. Factoring $100 instead of $105 brings the cost up to $530. Probably closer to what the actual cost will be.
The phone will REQUIRE one of the EP's to function, correct? Has that ever been confirmed?
iPhone lovers only compare the Pre to the iPhone in an attempt to keep the iPhone relevant; The iPhone doesn't have a physical keyboard or the ability to stream video over the 3G connection like the Bold can. Also, RIM and Palm won't lock their phones into one crappy provider for years.
It seems that the Bold is a much more suitable comparison.
Please tell me what carrier other than AT&T (in the US) that you can get the BB Bold on a new contract.
I'd really like to know.
soon guys, soon...
2! == 2 (for small values of 2)
iPhone is now standard by which all smartphones are measured n priced accordingly in order to be successful in America.in order for pre to have a chance it will must be $199 or less or will fail. How can a phone be priced higher than iPhone n expect to be be a hit,.agree?
no.
I agree that it's a standard for consumer devices, but I don't think prices have to match the iPhone. You can go higher, if a product is good, people will pay for it. Especially when network is a factor. People who really like Sprint for it's data coverage and speeds won't care if a Pre is 250.
I kind of agree and I really want the Pre to do well.
Seriously, you've been banned three times already.
Just go away.
Zero to million in 3 days?
NOT!!!!
Yes, because worldwide sales versus US only sales are a good yardstick. I am honestly shocked with such a large market to draw customers from it took so long with a simultaneous worldwide release.
go away
There's that mental illness again...
Lambda in your derivation = Win
can't wait till it comes out
can't will till it comes out definitely going to buy it.
So what you're saying is, that the G1 phone is the best deal out there.
I thought I'd give it a try and after many many research I couldn't find what derivation meant :p