The company had shared most of its plans ahead of time. One of the unknowns, though, was what Verizon would charge for the service. Verizon said on Wednesday that pricing will start at $50 a month for 5GB of data (that’s $10 a month cheaper than Verizon currently charges for its 3G data service). The company also announced two 4G USB modems (4G-ready phones won’t be coming until next year).

The event is just now kicking off, with Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone going through the details.

“This announcement has been a long time coming,” Melone said, noting that the company announced its plans to use LTE at Mobile World Congress in 2009. At the time, he said, the company didn’t necessarily know that it would be the first with a significant 4G network.

Melone also took shots at competitors, some of whom are already billing their existing networks as either 4G or delivering near-4G speeds.

“This is the real deal,” Melone said. “Not all 4G is the same.”

Update, 9:15 am PT: More on pricing. Two data plans: 5GB for $50 and 10GB for $80. Anything more than that will be charged at $10 per GB.

“There’s no limit,” Melone said. “We’re not going to slow customers down if they want to use more.”

As for speeds, Verizon said it expects customers will get 5 to 12 megabits per second when downloading and 2 to 5 Mbps when uploading once the network is fully loaded. (Speeds should be faster early on, Melone said.)

The two modems, which will sell for $99 after rebates, also support Verizon’s 3G network in areas where 4G is not available. They will be available online and at Verizon stores, but not immediately at retailers like Best Buy or Radio Shack.

More devices (i.e., phones) will be out by the middle of next year, Melone said. Verizon will talk more about smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, a spokesman said.

9:25 am: On to Q&A.

Asked about pricing, Melone said that they expect many customers will find their usage is above 5GB and will opt for the $80 a month plan, but still wanted to entice some customers with the lower price plan. “We believe the combination of the two will meet the needs of most customers,” he said.

Consumers will be able to get alerts letting them know when they are at 50 percent, 75 percent, 90 percent or 100 percent of their data plan and they can also query to see how much data they have used.

As for shifting from 4G to 3G, there won’t be a hiccup. However, the caveat is that going from 3G to 4G, you stay 3G until you finish an active session.

We’re likely to hear about some 4G-specific services around CES, Melone said, hinting at some sort of video service. “Obviously the capabilities of this network lend themselves to video-based applications,” he said.

9:38 am: I asked a couple of questions. First, how will Verizon handle voice and data simultaneously. (LTE supports it but 3G doesn’t.)

Melone said that was part of the thinking in launching data modems before 4G smartphones. “One of the reasons why we are not going out with voice out of the gate is it creates complexities that don’t serve anyone,” he said. That said, Verizon’s plan is that initially voice-only calls will be placed on the 3G network, while data sessions will be on 4G when both are available. Eventually, both will move to LTE, he said.

My second question was on whether the speeds Melone talked about on a fully loaded network take into account having a hit device, like the iPhone.

“We expect to be successful and have lots of devices on this network,” Melone said, adding that the company designed the network to be able to handle that kind of usage.

“We believe the iPhone should see continued solid growth into the December quarter with support from improved inventory in the US,” Barclay’s analyst Ben Reitzes said in a note to clients today. “Apple has now expanded distribution to Target (Target also sells the iPad) to join others including Apple stores, AT&T, Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart. Perhaps more importantly, we believe availability is improving overseas, with the iPhone 4 set to ship for its first full quarter in China. International demand seems strong into calendar year-end.”

For the quarter ending in December, Reitzes figures Apple will sell 14.8 million iPhones, with sales ramping up after that, assuming the company moves to a multicarrier model in the states. Says Reitzes, “As we move into C1Q we continue to believe it is quite likely that we will see the iPhone introduced on Verizon in the US which should continue sales momentum. By CY-end 2011, we believe Apple will have more than 2 carriers in the US, which could help its market share vs. Android significantly.”

Despite Tuesday’s pre-order fiasco, Apple (AAPL) and AT&T (T) still exhausted the supply of iPhone 4s set aside for delivery on June 24.

“Because of the incredible interest in iPhone 4, today was the busiest online sales day in AT&T history,” the carrier said in a statement issued Tuesday evening. “As of Tuesday afternoon, customers who pre-order iPhone 4 moving forward will receive their device on June 25 or later, depending on when the order is placed. We’ll email customers with confirmation once their order is placed, and again when it ships. In addition, we will have devices available on a first-come, first-serve basis in our stores beginning on June 24.”

As of early Wednesday morning, a notice on the AT&T Web site says, “Pre-orders for iPhone temporarily suspended” (click on image above to enlarge). And internally, the company has reportedly issued the following communication to the sales staff:

Pre-orders for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS 8GB are Temporarily Suspended

Effective close of business on June 15, 2010, the ability to place pre-orders (new activations, upgrades and exchanges) has been temporarily suspended. There is a special team that will be manually working all pre-orders from June 15th that were held in a pending status. Under no circumstances should new pre-orders be attempted in the system.

Over at Apple.com, the iPhone 4 page now shows a shipping date of July 2 for new pre-orders. So if you still want an iPhone 4 on June 24, you’ll need to head down to an Apple or AT&T store, or a Best Buy (BBY), Radio Shack (RSH) or Wal-Mart (WMT), where the device will be sold to walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis.

Interesting that Apple ran through its iPhone 4 pre-order supply so quickly, given the glitches that hampered sales yesterday. Makes you wonder how long that supply would have lasted if the ordering process had been trouble-free–and if Apple underestimated initial demand.

As of this writing, RadioShack’s Palm Store is entirely empty (“What are you shopping for in our Palm Store?” “Nothing!”). And CL King analyst Lawrence Harris reports that a number of RadioShack locations are no longer stocking the Sprint (S) version of the Pre and Pixi.

“Over the weekend we visited multiple RadioShack locations in the New York metro area,” Harris writes. “Most were no longer carrying the Palm Pre or Pixi. One location still had some Pixi’s, but no Pre’s in stock. The store manager told us that sales of the Pixi would be limited to the stock on hand, with no further shipments expected. Historically, RadioShack has been an important sales channel for Sprint. In recent weeks RadioShack was offering both Palm models for free, probably in order to clear out inventory.”

I’ve asked both Palm (PALM) and RadioShack (RSH) for comment and will update here if and when I’m given one.

UPDATE: Wendy Dominguez, corporate media relations manager for RadioShack, just provided me with the following comment: “For competitive reasons we don’t comment on inventory numbers and distribution of specific devices. Palm has been a good partner. We expect that relationship to continue.”

Dominguez declined to explain why Palm devices are no longer available for sale in RadioShack’s Palm Store. Nor would she comment on reports that the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi have disappeared from a number of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations.

UPDATE: Palm has declined comment.

UPDATE: Sprint has confirmed to Tech Trader Daily that it is indeed phasing out sales of both the Palm Pixi and Pre. “The plan is for the Pre to be replaced by a BlackBerry device and the Pixi for a message-centric device,” a spokesman told the blog.

FURTHER READING:

• Palm: I Cast Thee Out Creepy Lady Ad Agency
• Palm’s Worst Nightmare: New iPhones on AT&T and Verizon
• A Palliative for Palm
• Good Luck Competing on the iPhone’s Home Turf, Palm
• Exercise in Futility? Palm Pre Plus, Pixi Plus Headed to AT&T
• Palm: Pssst. Wanna Buy 1.15 Million Smartphones?
• Palm Pileup: Weak Smartphone Sales and a Gruesome Q4 Forecast
• Could Be Worse, Could Be Raining: Palm’s AT&T Launch Delayed?
• Could WebOS Licensing Be Palm’s Salvation?
• Palm’s Salvation? Less Push, More Pull.
• And if Palm’s Project JumpStart Doesn’t Work Out, There’s Always “Project Defibrillator”
• Double Face-Palm: Analysts React to Palm’s Lowered Guidance
• Time to Start Looking for a Buyer, Palm?
• 2010: Year of the Palm? Maybe Not…
• Analyst: Palm May Be Acquired in the Next Two Years

BoomTown’s plot to take over the world via honking big Skype headphones is working.

Barron’s blogger Eric Savitz and I will be appearing weekly on Fridays at 10 am PT on WSJ.com’s “Digits” daily online tech show, in a segment called “Rapid Firewire.”

Get it?

In our inaugural effort, we spouted off on the launch of the Apple (AAPL) iPad in one week, wondered whether Twitter can come up with a profit-making business plan, what will happen to Google (GOOG) and its China choice and, finally, the fate of gadget retailer Radio Shack.

The 1980s musical selection from this week, in honor of the headphones, is–natch–Wham!

Enjoy the video, and tune in next Friday:

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100327/wham-firewire-on-wsj-coms-digits-show-here-comes-the-ipad-and-can-twitter-makes-money/feed/ 4 http://allthingsd.com/20100326/radio-shack-mulls-sale-of-the-company-n-y-post-reports/ http://allthingsd.com/20100326/radio-shack-mulls-sale-of-the-company-n-y-post-reports/#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:00:58 +0000 Eric Savitz http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=23156 Radio Shack (RSH) is “exploring strategic alternative including a possible sale of the company,” the New York Post reports this morning. Citing “people close to the situation,” the Post says the electronics chain could be sold for over $3 billion. (Which isn’t all that stunning a figure, given the company’s $2.7 billion market cap.)

The report says investment bankers for the company have already begun pitching private equity firms about a potential LBO of the retailer.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100326/radio-shack-mulls-sale-of-the-company-n-y-post-reports/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20091231/the-year-in-wisecracks/ http://allthingsd.com/20091231/the-year-in-wisecracks/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:45:01 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=31302

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20091231/the-year-in-wisecracks/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20091013/safeguard-a-pcs-contents-in-an-upgrade/ http://allthingsd.com/20091013/safeguard-a-pcs-contents-in-an-upgrade/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:16:03 +0000 Katherine Boehret http://solution.allthingsd.com/20091013/safeguard-a-pcs-contents-in-an-upgrade/ Windows 7, Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system due out next week, is giving the company a lot to be happy about. By early reports, it’s fast, easy on the eyes and fixes most of the problems that plagued its predecessor, Vista. But while Microsoft (MSFT) employees are doing the dance of joy, some consumers are confused and scared about the prospect of upgrading their computers to Windows 7.

The upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 is particularly daunting because it requires first wiping the computer’s hard disk to perform what’s called a “custom” or “clean” install. This clears out the old operating system—as well as all of your programs, files and settings. To save personal files, XP users must back them up first, typically on an external hard disk, then transfer them back. Programs, however, will be lost altogether, so users must re-install these using their original CDs or installation files, and then also re-install all the program updates they’ve accumulated over the years.

People upgrading to Windows 7 from Vista may have it easier. In some common cases, they can upgrade to Windows 7 “in place,” which means they can save programs, files and settings right where they were. But since Vista was such a dud, many Windows users still use XP.

This week, I tested a program that tries to make the upgrade to Windows 7 just as easy for XP users as it is for some Vista users. I tested Laplink Software Inc.’s PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant (http://bit.ly/JeafI), a $15 program that saves programs, files and settings on the computer in a place that won’t be affected by the installation of Windows. This eliminates the hassle of using an external hard disk or re-installing programs. The company uses the analogy of a moving van to load up your computer’s information, storing it locally until it can be unloaded again on the same PC with a new operating system.

I tested this program using an Acer Aspire One netbook running Windows XP. It took me two hours from start to finish, a three-part process of installing the Upgrade Assistant, installing Windows 7, and then re-installing the PCmover program. I followed instructions and the process of upgrading was really quite easy, showing me the programs and files (photos, videos and documents) I had on my old operating system.

Afterward, I did have to dig around on my computer a little bit to make some adjustments, like fixing Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes music program so it opened in Windows 7. And I found it a little annoying that, throughout the process, the Upgrade Assistant tried to get me to buy more software programs, like RegistryBooster and DiskImage, by saying the programs would better prepare my old PC for the switch.

Laplink’s $15 PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant helps smooth the way for some XP users to upgrade to Windows 7.

The Upgrade Assistant also works with PCs running Vista. Microsoft offers an in-place upgrade option from Vista to 7, but this mainly works for people transferring from an identical version of Vista to an identical version of 7, like Windows Vista 32-bit Home Premium to Windows 7 32-bit Home Premium.

This program won’t magically fix every upgrade issue you face. If you bought your computer many years ago, it may not be able to run Windows 7 at all, because the hardware may be insufficient.

Another problem is that most netbooks and some laptops don’t come with built-in disk drives, making it a challenge to install Windows 7, since it comes on a DVD. I had to call around town to find a Radio Shack selling an external DVD disk drive that plugged into my Acer netbook via a USB cord.

Some security software programs, like that from McAfee Inc. (MFE) and Symantec Corp.’s (SYMC) Norton Antivirus, may not transfer over to Windows 7, though you should be able to manually install them after the migration.

When first installing the Upgrade Assistant, you can choose to do a full migration (files, settings and programs); just move files and settings; move files only; or perform a custom migration. You also can specify which user accounts to include or exclude and you can opt to exclude certain types of files, like temporary files.

After the PCmover program assessed the contents of my PC, it explained that it was packing my content into a “moving van”—a file for holding the content—and offered to break the moving van’s content into smaller parts for people who have storage limitations while transferring.

It’s a little nerve-wracking to think about transferring your computer’s entire contents over without being able to see where the files are going. At least on an external hard disk, you feel like the files are stored on something tangible and accessible—even if some step in the migration goes terribly wrong and the laptop never starts again, however unlikely.

After installing Windows 7 and then re-installing the PCmover program, I was finished. The next time I turned on the PC, a program called StartUp immediately started to run. This appeared to show me a list of programs that automatically ran on my old operating system but which PCmover disabled from running automatically on Windows 7. A quick step allowed programs that I selected to automatically run again.

One thing to note as you upgrade from Windows XP is that your PC may not be equipped to deliver the full Windows 7 experience. Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta, Microsoft’s own tool, analyzes what will and won’t work properly when the newest version of Windows installs. The Upgrade Advisor warned me that Windows Aero, the name used for some of the gorgeous visuals in Windows 7, wasn’t capable of working with my netbook’s graphics adapter. Sure enough, Aero’s ability to show tiny, pop-up previews of programs that are running in your taskbar as you hover over them didn’t work. Instead, the names of the files and programs appeared in text-only preview panes.

The downloadable version of the Upgrade Assistant is now $15 for one license to use on one PC—a special pre-release price before Windows 7 is available Oct. 22. After that, the downloadable version will cost $20 from Laplink.com for one license to use on one PC. If you would rather not download this program, it also will be available for purchase in retail stores by the end of October. Of course, you also will have to buy a copy of Windows 7; the version most consumers will want is called Home Premium and it costs $120 as an upgrade.

If you are considering Windows 7 and you are currently using Windows XP on a relatively new PC, a simpler and better-organized migration process is worth the nominal price of Laplink’s PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant.

Edited by Walter. S. Mossberg

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20091013/safeguard-a-pcs-contents-in-an-upgrade/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20090803/google-ceo-bails-on-apple-board/ http://allthingsd.com/20090803/google-ceo-bails-on-apple-board/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:00:29 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=22721

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090803/google-ceo-bails-on-apple-board/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20090720/palm-valuation-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/ http://allthingsd.com/20090720/palm-valuation-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:22:54 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=21742 With Palm’s shares up more than 900 percent since January, two things are clear: Palm’s Pre and webOS operating system are nothing short of a triumph and the run-up in Palm (PALM) shares is most likely a wee bit overdone.

In a research note issued Monday, Jesup and Lamont analyst Kevin Dede says as much, arguing that the company’s shares are overvalued, particularly in light of Pre returns.

“We stood just as the Street now stands, completely enamored with Palm’s highly innovative new device; however, our checks now lead us to believe that while initial sales could almost be categorized as ‘gangbusters’ and perhaps above initial assumptions, we think there are engineering complications that are driving a higher level of returned devices than otherwise expected.

“From a hardware perspective,” Dede continues, “the Pre includes the features expected in a cutting-edge smartphone, including a large touch screen, one of the most powerful processors designed for a handset, and a slide-out keyboard; we understand that a great many returns are on account of an unsatisfactory experience with the keyboard operation and dead pixels in the screen. Fixing these issues shouldn’t pose a problem, but we think the timing risk and severity should be reflected in the shares.”

Dede notes that his impromptu survey of local retail outlets–Sprint (S), Best Buy (BBY) and Radio Shack–revealed that about one in three devices is being returned. He cites, as well, a survey on Pre Central that suggests roughly 40 percent of initial Pre sales are exchanged.

Now, to be fair, this is anecdotal evidence at best. The Pre Central survey, which at present has only 615 respondents, is hardly statistically relevant. That said, Pre Central is a top Pre fan site, and Palm’s own forum has quite a few complaints, as does SprintUsers. So clearly, something’s going on here.

Reached for comment on the issue, Palm had this to say: “We think the Palm Pre is the best product we’ve ever shipped. While we haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary we will continue to closely monitor both Palm and Sprint customer service channels.”

Despite concerns about the Pre’s build quality and Dede’s contention that the company’s stock is overvalued, the analyst sees good things ahead for Palm. “In light of the overwhelming evidence supporting continued growth of converged devices, we believe Palm addresses the most enchanting segment of the mobile device market and should experience at least market growth over the longer term.

“Shorter term is obviously more interesting, and we believe Palm’s technology positions it to gain share at the expense of those companies offering less attractive, less functional devices,” Dede adds, concluding, “The competitive technology race boils down to ease of use across an increasingly complex technical environment.”

UPDATE: Concerned that its survey has been taken out of context, Pre Central is running another poll on Pre build quality, this one on its blog, rather than its forums. And while it’s no more statistically relevant than the original, it’s worth noting. Because with more than twice the number of respondents, it shows just 18 percent of initial Pre sales being exchanged.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090720/palm-valuation-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/feed/ 3 http://allthingsd.com/20090720/palm-valuation-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be-2/ http://allthingsd.com/20090720/palm-valuation-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be-2/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:22:54 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=21742 With Palm’s shares up more than 900 percent since January, two things are clear: Palm’s Pre and webOS operating system are nothing short of a triumph and the run-up in Palm (PALM) shares is most likely a wee bit overdone.

In a research note issued Monday, Jesup and Lamont analyst Kevin Dede says as much, arguing that the company’s shares are overvalued, particularly in light of Pre returns.

“We stood just as the Street now stands, completely enamored with Palm’s highly innovative new device; however, our checks now lead us to believe that while initial sales could almost be categorized as ‘gangbusters’ and perhaps above initial assumptions, we think there are engineering complications that are driving a higher level of returned devices than otherwise expected.

“From a hardware perspective,” Dede continues, “the Pre includes the features expected in a cutting-edge smartphone, including a large touch screen, one of the most powerful processors designed for a handset, and a slide-out keyboard; we understand that a great many returns are on account of an unsatisfactory experience with the keyboard operation and dead pixels in the screen. Fixing these issues shouldn’t pose a problem, but we think the timing risk and severity should be reflected in the shares.”

Dede notes that his impromptu survey of local retail outlets–Sprint (S), Best Buy (BBY) and Radio Shack–revealed that about one in three devices is being returned. He cites, as well, a survey on Pre Central that suggests roughly 40 percent of initial Pre sales are exchanged.

Now, to be fair, this is anecdotal evidence at best. The Pre Central survey, which at present has only 615 respondents, is hardly statistically relevant. That said, Pre Central is a top Pre fan site, and Palm’s own forum has quite a few complaints, as does SprintUsers. So clearly, something’s going on here.

Reached for comment on the issue, Palm had this to say: “We think the Palm Pre is the best product we’ve ever shipped. While we haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary we will continue to closely monitor both Palm and Sprint customer service channels.”

Despite concerns about the Pre’s build quality and Dede’s contention that the company’s stock is overvalued, the analyst sees good things ahead for Palm. “In light of the overwhelming evidence supporting continued growth of converged devices, we believe Palm addresses the most enchanting segment of the mobile device market and should experience at least market growth over the longer term.

“Shorter term is obviously more interesting, and we believe Palm’s technology positions it to gain share at the expense of those companies offering less attractive, less functional devices,” Dede adds, concluding, “The competitive technology race boils down to ease of use across an increasingly complex technical environment.”

UPDATE: Concerned that its survey has been taken out of context, Pre Central is running another poll on Pre build quality, this one on its blog, rather than its forums. And while it’s no more statistically relevant than the original, it’s worth noting. Because with more than twice the number of respondents, it shows just 18 percent of initial Pre sales being exchanged.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090720/palm-valuation-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be-2/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20090612/microsoft-announces-windows-feu-edition/ http://allthingsd.com/20090612/microsoft-announces-windows-feu-edition/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:20:59 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=19473

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090612/microsoft-announces-windows-feu-edition/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20090612/palm-pre-100000-sold-so-far/ http://allthingsd.com/20090612/palm-pre-100000-sold-so-far/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:30:16 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=19456 Palm has shipped 100,000 Pres since the device debuted on June 6. This, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Paul Coster, who estimates that more than 50,000 phones were sold in the first two days it was available and says the company may have sold another 50,000 in the days that followed. “Channel checks conducted Thursday, the 11th, suggest shipments to Sprint stores have averaged about 10-15 units every 2 days, implying about 36K-55K units will have shipped by Saturday (1,200 stores, three shipments of 10-15 units),” Coster said in a research note issued this morning. RadioShack inventory has been replenished once (back to launch-date levels or higher), whereas Best Buy has not received additional units (based on very limited sample). Our channel checks included 28 Sprint stores across the nation, 3 Radio Shack stores, and 3 Best Buys….Though we came away with a generally favorable impression of the sell-in momentum that Palm is currently experiencing, we also detected a lot of uncertainty. Sprint stores are being dripfed devices without much certainty or uniformity regarding timing and quantity. A Best Buy associate expressed hope that devices would be delivered by Friday but sounded doubtful.”

Interesting. Certainly puts Palm’s claim that “Sprint tells us they have never seen higher demand for a smartphone” in perspective.

Coster’s suggestion for folks intent on buying a Pre but frustrated by the meager supply at Sprint Stores and Best Buy: Try Radio Shack, which “seems to have been neglected by eager early adopters.”

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090612/palm-pre-100000-sold-so-far/feed/ 1 http://allthingsd.com/20090606/the-big-day/ http://allthingsd.com/20090606/the-big-day/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:03:40 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=18892

The Palm (PALM) Pre officially went on sale this morning, and judging from initial reports–and my experience at a local Northern California Sprint store–neither demand or supply was particularly overwhelming. Certainly, lines for the device were far shorter than those that extended from Apple (AAPL) stores for the launches of the iPhone and the iPhone 3G.

Arriving outside my local Sprint (S) store about an hour after they first opened, I found not a queue of eager Pre-buyers, but two kids making forts out of a few Pre shipping boxes left outside the store. Inside the store, I found a group of nine people waiting in line to add their names to a waiting list for the device, which was already sold out at this location. A Sprint rep refused to tell me how many Pres had been sold this morning, but admitted that the shipment had been a small one.

The situation is apparently the same across the country. The Boston Globe reports that Sprint’s Back Bay store sold out of its 55 Pres by 11 AM. An informal survey by 24/7 Wall Street reveals sell outs or fast-dwindling supplies of the device at Sprint and Best Buy stores in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Four of the five Best Buy stores I contacted reported selling out of the Pre very quickly; one representative told me his store had just four of the devices and he believed that to be the case at many other locations.

Sprint stores I spoke with in LA, Chicago and Boston told me they’d sold out by late morning.

Q: How many names on the list? A: “We’re not allowed to say.” A reader tells me that the line outside the W. Division Street in Chicago was at least 50 people long, and that the store started wait-listing people somewhere around #36. Another reader reports a line of about 20 people outside an Emeryville, CA Sprint store. That same reader claims a clerk told him the store had 60 Pres on hand. Still another reader reports that the line outside Sprint’s Market Street store in San Francisco started at 6 AM this morning. There were a dozen or so folks in line by about 7:30 AM. Finally, another reader reports that a Sprint store in San Francisco’s Castro district had a line of about 40 people when she showed up to get in line at 7 AM. That location, too, sold out quickly.

Four phones at the local Best Buy? Stores in Marin, LA and Chicago sold out within hours? Makes you wonder if Palm and Sprint are purposely constraining supply to foster an image of overwhelming demand.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090606/the-big-day/feed/ 6 http://allthingsd.com/20080813/best-buy-up-on-deal-to-sell-iphone-radio-shack-slips/ http://allthingsd.com/20080813/best-buy-up-on-deal-to-sell-iphone-radio-shack-slips/#comments Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:08:52 +0000 Eric Savitz http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=2585 Best Buy (BBY) shares are on the rise this morning on news that the company’s Best Buy Mobile stores will carry the Apple (AAPL) iPhone starting Sept. 7.

Pricing will be the same as it is through Apple and AT&T (T) stores: $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for 16GB, with a two-year AT&T service contract. Best Buy stores already sell iPods and Macs.

Meanwhile, Radio Shack (RSH) shares are sliding today. The retail chain already sells AT&T wireless service, but for now at least, isn’t going to be selling iPhones. Also hurting Radio Shack: news that the company has sold $325 million of 2.5 percent convertible senior notes due 2013.

Read the rest of this post

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