This morning, a rumor circulated about select Verizon smartphones and notebook PCs being "phased out." Given that "phase out" and "end-of-life" mean two separate things in the wireless industry, the next question to ask would be "when are these devices actually leaving store shelves?" Thanks to a leaked Verizon end-of-life spreadsheet our trusty Verizon tipster sent us, we have some concrete dates to back up the rumors.
Among the devices discussed in the original post, it looks as if the BlackBerry Curve 8530 (both colors) is headed to greener pastures on September 16th. The Storm2 is scheduled for end-of-life on October 10th, followed by the Palm Pre Plus on October 21st. Interestingly enough, the Pixi Plus is scheduled to continue in inventory until March 31, 2011, leading me to believe that those rumors about a high-end webOS device coming in October are true. What's more, the Curve 8530 and Storm2 departing retail stores leaves quite a hole in the BlackBerry lineup. Could a Storm3 be on the horizon?
Beyond those, the current crop of smartphones are sitting pretty until at least March 31st, 2011. It's important to note that the spreadsheet above is from one particular channel within the carrier's structure, so actual end-of-life dates could vary between telesales, corporate retail, and indirect retail. Anyone care to speculate about possible replacements?
