The T1 phone, branded with the surname of US President
Donald Trump and sold by his licensed mobile venture, will begin shipping to buyers this week, the company's chief executive said. CEO Pat O'Brien told USA Today by email that all preorders will be fulfilled within the next several weeks, the Verge reported, after viral reports earlier this week alleged that preorders had been cancelled.
The announcement comes 11 months after the handset was first unveiled. O'Brien said the long delay had been worthwhile without giving a detailed explanation, telling USA Today: "Those delays were worth it in our minds" — a statement the Verge included in its account of the release. The company also provided USA Today with the first promotional video, showing a redesigned device and packaging that appeared on the brand's website last month, and the phone is set to ship in that packaging.
The launch unfolds against the backdrop of an unusually busy week for the family brand: the president flew to Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit and summit, plans for Australia's first
Trump Tower were scrapped with the developer citing a "toxic" brand and the Iran war, and a lawsuit was filed to halt the $13m renovation of a Washington memorial reflecting pool tied to the president's name.
The company has not published a hardware specification sheet alongside Wednesday's announcement, and O'Brien did not give a final unit count for the initial shipping wave, the Verge reported. The outlet has been tracking the launch under a running update tag for months.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.