The Ridiculous AT&T Galaxy S4 Pre-Order

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Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed a bizarre new marketing trend in which products are put up for pre-order… without an actual release date or itemized spec sheet. And, amazingly, even occasionally neglecting to specify a price. AT&T is up this time, with a Samsung Galaxy S4 (pre) pre-order announcement:

Continuing our legacy as the first carrier to launch Samsung’s Galaxy series, we are excited to announce AT&T customers will be able to begin pre-ordering the Galaxy S® 4 beginning April 16 for $249.99 with a two-year commitment.

Our assumption is that AT&T’s strategy is designed to one up T-Mobile’s claims of May 1st availability. Although, the artist formerly known as Ma Bell doesn’t specify an actual release date or which model (color, memory capacity) they’re making available for that $250. Hopefully details will come into focus on April 16th. While we continue to pine for the HTC One on Verizon…

6 thoughts on “The Ridiculous AT&T Galaxy S4 Pre-Order”

  1. The HTC One appears to be a FAR better phone, but both LG and HTC seem to be slipping into obscurity as Samsung dominates. You have to assume its the marketing dollars and Samsung’s ability to market the single Galaxy brand across carriers, at least in the US, while the other brands have gone begging.

    When HTC and LG fold up shop and the Android marketplace is left to Samsung alone, you’ll be able to lay it at Verizon’s feet.

  2. “While we continue to pine for the HTC One on Verizon…”

    Half of Verizon Wireless is ‘the artist formally known as Ma Bell’ too.

    ‘The artist’ underwent mitosis, and has now spawned everywhere. (You can even use a Blue Box on VZW…)

  5. “Colbert tried to help me understand the inverse entropy back in 2007…”

    Is there anything Colbert can’t explain?

    —–

    In retrospect, I’ve got mixed feelings about the AT&T breakup. In a lot of ways it did harm to a sane regulated telecom structure. The one big win out of the breakup was the growth of CLEC’s, using ILEC wires, nationally codified by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. (Tangentially, the same law that gave us CableCARD.)

    Going forward, it’d be awfully nice for consumers and innovation if both wireline providers and wireless providers were opened to ‘ILEC-like’ operators paying a fixed fee to use the ‘CLEC-like’ wirelines and wireless spectrum.

    Imagine lawmakers opening up the VZW network to 3rd party operators offering different packages. Consumers win through better options. VZW still gets paid. Same deal with wireline providers. It’s the best way to regulate a utility with these particular characteristics, IMHO. (Of course, the utilities would fight like hell to avoid becoming ‘dumb pipes’, but if you set the rates paid to them generously, you can stuff their mouths with gold to help shut them up…)

  6. And right on time, Yglesias issues a paean to the guy who was the tip of the spear in making DISH, DirecTV, and CableCARD happen…

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