Five months after Trump Mobile started collecting $100 deposits for its promised T1 Phone, the device remains completely missing in action. The company's website sits unchanged with no release date beyond "this year," while customers' money potentially generates returns elsewhere. This latest non-update highlights a growing pattern in tech vaporware - collect first, deliver never.
The Trump phone saga continues its bizarre journey into tech industry legend, and not in a good way. Trump Mobile promised a revolutionary T1 Phone back in June, but five months later, customers who put down $100 deposits are still waiting for any sign their money will produce an actual device.
This isn't just another delayed product launch - it's shaping up as a textbook case of vaporware done wrong. The company's website remains frozen in time, offering no updates beyond the vague promise of delivery "this year." Trump Mobile's social channels have gone completely silent, and emails to the company go unanswered, according to The Verge's latest investigation.
The financial implications get more interesting when you dig deeper. Those $100 deposits from early customers have been sitting somewhere for almost five months now. If Tesla stock is any guide, that money could have generated solid returns. A $100 investment in Tesla on June 16th - when the Trump phone was first announced - would be worth $131.90 today, a profit of $31.90. Apple would have performed even better, turning that same $100 into $136.57.
But here's the thing about vaporware - it's often more profitable than actual product development. Taking deposits upfront with no obligation to deliver creates a perfect cash flow machine. We don't know how many preorders Trump Mobile collected, but even modest numbers could generate significant returns when invested rather than spent on R&D or manufacturing.
The smartphone market has seen its share of ambitious promises that never materiialize. Remember the Phantom phone? Or any number of crowdfunded devices that collected millions before disappearing? Trump Mobile's approach follows a familiar pattern: big promises, early money collection, then radio silence.
What makes this case particularly frustrating for customers is the complete lack of communication. Most legitimate companies facing delays will at least update their backers with progress reports, manufacturing challenges, or revised timelines. Trump Mobile has offered nothing - not even acknowledgment that delays exist.
The Trump Organization's refusal to respond to media requests adds another layer of opacity to the situation. For a brand that built its reputation on bold public statements, the silence around the T1 Phone speaks volumes about the project's actual status.
