It’s pre-humorous. I wonder if T-Mobile isn’t just testing the waters to see how many geeks will pre-buy? Considering this is an offshoot of a platform that, despite being ported to watches, toasters and AM radios, still hasn’t put a dent in the market, I can’t say that I pre-blame them. I also get the feeling that a lot of geeks are going to be very disappointed by this. They’re probably all thinking this opens the gates to an “anything goes” phone and NO carrier is going to allow that.

I’m happy with it as long as I can buy it with some of this pre-money I’ve got coming my way. Someday. Hopefully.

Although it is kind of a nonsensical term when looked at too closely, I’ve always interpreted the term “pre-sale” to mean a period in which something is offered to specific groups before it goes on sale to the general public. An obvious, non-tech example is concert tickets, which are often made available to fan clubs or other special groups prior to their official on-sale date.

The rumors about the T-Mobile deal actually do look to fit this definition as it suggests that the phone will be offered to existing customers (either as a pre-order or even physically) before it becomes available to everyone else.

Well then, and you think woman-speak is confusing?

So let me get this straight … if someone says something is “pre-love,” does that mean *before* or *after* (as in pre-record = previously recorded)?

Thanks, marketeers, for continuing to ruin a language. May I pre-stab you?

Considering that the alleged “pre-sale” is supposedly limited to EXISTING T-Mobile customers, I would think pre-sale definitely means something!

Good thing T-Mobile launched month-to-month contracts…

Don’t politicians give the pre-sale sales pitch?
They ask for votes on stuff they are not yet in a position to give us but promise to do so somewhere down the line. Of course, they rarely fulfill the pre-orders!

It exists if we believe in it…..and that’s what matters.

Cue credits.

Now hold on a second. I spent two years writing copy for a pre-order catalog, selling stuff that didn’t exist yet, so I take some offense at the accusation that “pre-sale” means absolutely nothing. T-Mobile deserves praise for wanting to be the first provider to embrace and promote an open source phone operating system. Their enthusiasm merely mirrors that of a market hungry for innovation. If the other providers would be so brave, the industry would be better for it. Did I mention I used to write copy for a pre-order catalog, basically selling stuff that didn’t exist yet?

Maybe they just mean pre-orders? Maybe they expect to sell out so they’re taking “pre-sale” reservations early? I don’t know the specifics, but I’m not going to get worked up about leaked information.

Agreed. The HTC Shift, for example, was listed on a lot of sites for ‘pre-sale’ a year before it was available!

i would say thats more marketing speak then geek speak…