Since the day the Pre was announced, every tech blog on the web has been chasing release date rumors. First we heard that the Pre was going to be released in May, and then as May approached and Palm remained silent, it began to look more like a June release was more realistic. The most recent rumors have pinned down the release to the first or second week of June. The general consensus is that Palm will release the Pre right before the new iPhone.

Right now, on the eve of what many think will be an official announcement of a release date in the Wall Street Journal (May 19th), the New York Times is running an article (subscription required) that states Palm will be launching the Pre during the first week of June.

The direct quote from the New York Times article:

the season’s most compelling phone drama will start the first week in June, when Sprint will begin selling the Palm Pre, people briefed on the company’s plans said.

Does this officially confirm an early June release date? No, but the fact that these release date rumors are now coming from a credible source makes them a bit more believable. The real question is was the New York Times trying to beat an official announcement tomorrow in the WSJ? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.