AT&T rumored stalling Palm webOS phones until summer
updated 05:05 pm EDT, Wed March 17, 2010
Palm Pre and Pixi may not show until June
Palm's plans for webOS phones at AT&T may have been sidetracked if a rumor is an indication. Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek claims to have "recently learned" from unnamed sources that the Pre and Pixi for the network have been pushed back from an April launch to June or July. The carrier has allegedly found a "long list of technical issues" and may also have whittled back its marketing budget.
Misek didn't say what would have most likely triggered the delay.
Whether or not the report is accurate isn't certain. The analyst has had a largely negative track record with claimed leaks, most recently surrounding iPad supplies. He claimed a chronic shortage that would have pushed the launch back by as much as a month. While difficult to tell how accurate he would be without official Apple figures, the analysis prompted a rare counter-rumor that insisted supplies were healthy.
A June or July release would be potentially deadly for Palm, as it would not only have to compete head-to-head with an iPhone release once again but do so on the same network. Last year's launch of the Pre on Sprint was believed to have been undermined by the iPhone 3GS launch, which at just three days after Palm's release may have led some to simply wait for Apple's offering.
