Who knows what will happen when the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre launches on Saturday? But it’s becoming clear that Sprint (NYSE: S) and Palm are understandably nervous about the device’s reception. Just in case the hype surrounding Palm’s make-or-break-iPhone killer-Sprint-savior doesn’t generate lines around the block, Palm and Sprint want you to know they are not equating success with packed stores.

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Palm spokeswoman Lynn Fox told the Nytimes.com’s Bits blog that it would take the company time to generate buzz with the new device. “We’re not like Apple,” she said. Meanwhile, Sprint doesn’t expect throngs of customers at their 1,100 stores, and according to Sprint spokesperson Mark Elliott, “doesn’t want them.” He told Bits, “We’re actually trying to manage the exact opposite.” Elliott said that the carrier wanted to be able to give Pre buyers “in-store tutorials” so that each customer could “get the experience.” In classic expectation-management speak, Eliott said that success “is not about having a line out the door.” He said, “It’s about being able to treat each customer and make sure they’re happy with their decision.”