Rather than imitating a prize fighter guaranteeing a knock-out before the fight has started, both Sprint and Palm are posturing themselves in a far more conservative stance, stating publicly that they do not expect long lines of hungry Pre customers on launch day. Mark Elliott, speaking for Sprint, indicated that they hope to give each customer lots of one-on-one love and make sure it’s a positive experience for all.  He said, “[Success] is not about having a line out the door; it’s about being able to treat each customer and make sure they’re happy with their decision.” 

I don’t know about you, but all kinds of things come to mind concerning this attempt to manage expectations. Do both Sprint and Palm have concerns about limited inventory for launch? Are they worried that limited mass marketing will equate to a conservative turn-out at the stores? Or maybe they have enough extra boots on the ground to handle the deluge of Pre buyers so that a long line will never form? What about our first-in-line-guy who has camped outside a Sprint store all week – was it sane necessary? I guess we will all find out in less than two days.