Shortly after Palm unveiled the new Palm Pre, rumours surfaced that it would sell for US$399. If so, it would have been priced much higher than competing devices such as the Apple iPhone 3G or the BlackBerry Storm. New details have emerged that suggest that the US$399 price is but one of several that Palm is currently considering.
The rumoured US$399 is actually the price a customer would pay without opting for a Sprint service contract. Palm is also considering going as high as US$499. In either cases, Sprint will offer subsidized pricing for customers who sign up for a service contract. As such, Sprint could offer the Pre for as low as US$149 or US$199 (depending on the contract-free price) with a two-year service contract.
One interesting detail is that Palm Pre production in Q3 could be limited to 200,000 units due to limited availability of the 3.1-inch HVGA touchscreen display. Production will ramp up as the display availability situation improves. This could play a significant role in the deployment of the Pre to other markets (eg, Europe, Canada, etc).