We’ve been following rumours that Palm is planning to go toe-to-toe with Apple by launching the highly anticipated Pre the day before the iPhone manufacturer’s keynote speech at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

But a new rumour apparently from within US retailer Best Buy suggests the store will have a limited launch run of 4500 units on the shelves by June 7th.

It’s not clear whether this will be in co-operation with the exclusivity holder Sprint, or a secondary market, but according to Boy Genius Report the Pre will be coming in at $199.99 with a two year contract, $299.99 for contract upgrades and a wallet-smashing $999.99 on pay as you go. Ouch.

It’s all just rumour, of course, and Best Buy isn’t known for accuracy when it comes to such matters, but one thing’s for sure - the Pre is near.