AT&T Vs Pre: Internal Document Smackdown. Oh No You Didn't!
Want more evidence that the Pre release is imminent? How about AT&T sending a document around their internal network for employees to bone-up on some anti-Pre, pro-iPhone talking points ...and then holding some in-store seminars …
Context & Ripple Effects
This is at least the second time an internal AT&T document has escaped onto enthusiast sites — the carrier's 2007 iPhone playbook covering prepaid iPhones, unboxing and credit checks leaked much the same way, and it had already drawn attention with its decision not to pre-sell the original iPhone. The difference is posture: the 2007 documents were about selling Apple's phone; this one is about defending it.
That shift is the story. With Palm's Pre still officially undated — the "imminent release" reading here remains unconfirmed — AT&T is reportedly running in-store seminars to arm employees with anti-Pre, pro-iPhone talking points, meaning the largest US iPhone carrier is treating Palm's comeback handset as a real threat before it even ships. PreCentral's framing ("Oh No You Didn't!") captures how quickly such leaks become ammunition on the enthusiast side.
First-order effects
- Sprint's exclusive Pre launch now meets an organized counter-campaign from the incumbent: AT&T retail staff briefed and drilled on why customers should stay with the iPhone precisely when Palm needs floor-level attention.
- Apple benefits immediately without lifting a finger — its exclusivity partner is spending its own retail resources to protect iPhone share against a device that has not yet launched.
Second-order effects
- The leak itself works as free Pre marketing: AT&T's objections circulate on Palm-focused sites like PreCentral, so the carrier's defensive script doubles as evidence that the Pre matters.
- Other carriers watching this exchange learn that launch-period counter-training is now table stakes — expect rivals to prepare their own scripts rather than cede the sales-floor conversation to whichever phone has the exclusive.
Third-order effects
- If every flagship launch triggers rival-carrier counter-briefings, the decisive smartphone battleground moves from specs pages to retail floors, and internal training documents become standing leak targets for enthusiast media — a cycle AT&T's own 2007 iPhone document helped establish.
- For Palm specifically, being taken seriously enough to warrant an incumbent's organized defense is a double-edged validation: it confirms market relevance while raising the bar the Pre must clear at launch.
The trend: Smartphone competition is migrating onto the carrier sales floor, where scripted counter-messaging against a rival's upcoming flagship is becoming standard practice for every major launch.