Sprint: "We have the Pre through 2009"

Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless are circling Palm's soon-to-be-released Pre smartphone, but Sprint—the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Pre, for now—says it has dibs until 2010.

The Dow Jones newswire service (via Boy Genius Report) has a quote from Sprint spokesman James Fisher, who had a simple response when asked about the intentions of rival carriers AT&T and Verizon toward the heavily hyped handset: "We have the Pre through 2009."

Guess that pretty much says it all, right?

Interest in the Pre, set to go on sale June 6 though Sprint (and only Sprint, at least here in the U.S.), has surged in the past few days on the news that AT&T and Verizon Wireless are looking to offer the Pre in their smartphone lineups, as well.

AT&T chief exec Randall Stephenson said earlier this week that the carrier will sell the Pre once Sprint's exclusive expires, according to the Wall Street Journal, while Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told investors Wednesday that the Pre (along with a next-generation BlackBerry Storm) will arrive on the network "over the next six months or so."

Many had hoped that "six months or so" might translate into, say, before the end of the year, but based on Sprint's latest comments, it looks like AT&T and Verizon subscribers will have to wait until January 2010, at least.

So, I'm curious: Is anyone so anxious for the Pre that they'd be willing to switch to Sprint (if you're not already a customer, that is) to get it early? Or would you rather just wait until it arrives next year on AT&T or Verizon?

Related:
Sprint Has Palm Pre Exclusive Through 2009 [Dow Jones Newswire]