Sprint Nextel will launch the Palm Pre in the first week of June, according to a report in the New York Times. 
The report, citing unnamed people briefed on the matter, indicated that a battle between top smartphones--namely the Pre and an updated version of Apple's iPhone--would begin when Sprint launched the device.
The launch date has been the subject of intense speculation on the Internet and for those following Sprint and Palm. Palm insists that the launch of the Pre is not a make-or-break moment for the company, which has steadily been losing money and smartphone market share. Palm contends that the device will be the first of many running its new platform, webOS, which it hopes will revitalize its flagging fortunes. Sprint too, which has been losing postpaid subscribers by the boatload for several quarters, is hoping for a hit with the device.
Previously, the two companies had promised that the Pre would launch in the first half of the year, before June 30. Speculation has mounted that the launch may come on June 7, the day before Apple's WWDC conference, where the company may unveil the latest version of the iPhone.
For more:
- see this New York Times article
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