HTC One available at AT&T and Sprint, Developer Edition delayed

The HTC One was announced back in February and was supposed to be available in March. That date was pushed back, and today we finally see it available at AT&T and Sprint. T-Mobile gets it next week, though Verizon doesn't get it.

Regular readers know I am a fan of the HTC One and pre-ordered a Developer Edition a couple weeks ago. We were told it would arrive today, April 19, but this morning I received the email shown below that states we may now get it by the end of April. Given the delays we have already seen, my confidence in an April delivery is not that high.

The Developer Edition is targeted to the die-hard Android and HTC enthusiast, and when it went up for pre-sale before carrier versions, it was expected that these would be shipped first or at least when the carrier ones hit. To now see them delayed and coming after the carrier versions is a real disappointment for HTC fans. I am thinking of either going with a T-Mobile 32GB version, or just canceling since I don't really need the HTC One and am quite satisfied with my Note II.

Update, 10.40am PT: The folks at Android Central posted a clarification on the delays of the HTC One Developer Edition that turn out to be related to shipping delays caused by flooding and the terrible tragedies in Boston. I canceled that order after further consideration and just bought a T-Mobile one so I get HSPA+ and wi-fi calling support on the HTC One.

Early adopters like me tend to make purchases on a whim when the device is announced and excitement is high. We then sell the device and move on to the next. Having an announcement in February and then a delayed release a couple months later kind of kills that enthusiasm. This is especially true in the smartphone world where things move fast, and we have the Galaxy S4 right around the corner, BlackBerry Z10 out now, and a rumored Nokia Lumia 928 possibly coming to Verizon and T-Mobile in May or June.

I really do like the HTC One, but the delay curbs my enthusiasm. I now have time to look at the cons, such as having to manage hundreds of photos taken in Zoe mode with limited memory capacity, having photos that look good online, but don't print well, and doubts that the device will receive future Android updates since HTC has a poor record in this area.

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