Research In Motion recently announced that the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices would be delayed to Q1 2013 to allow it to ensure that it was ready for release. In an interview with CIO, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins shed a bit more light on the delay and on exactly when we will see the first BlackBerry 10 device, an all-touch one possibly to be known as the L-series.
Heins explained that the delay in getting BlackBerry 10 out is due to all the integration required between software groups:
The delay of BlackBerry 10 is not because we added stuff to it. The delay is because our software groups were actually so successful in coding the various feature components and building blocks that when we put them into the main “trunk line,” as we call it, when we wanted to build the first main release, we got overwhelmed by integration efforts. I had to make a decision. I could actually have kept the schedule, if I had made a sacrifice on quality and on platform stability. And I decided not to do that, because I need to make sure that when we deliver a BlackBerry, it is best quality.
Asked about when RIM could expect to have customer’s faith in the company restored, Heins answered:
In January with the full touch device and the QWERTY coming, I think we will reinstall faith in RIM. That’s what we’re working on. This is what our objective is, and when I’ve talked to carriers about the delay of BlackBerry 10, the overwhelming feedback was, “First, thank you for letting us know in advance. Second, Q4 is mostly a prepaid quarter anyway, lot of noise coming, actually why don’t we focus on a Q1 [2013] launch and make this a major launch in Q1?” I think we have a lot of support there.
The timeline aligns with that of a leaked 2013 BlackBerry 10 roadmap. It’s not clear though if the January release will be for Europe only though. The rumour suggested that a North American launch would follow 3 to 4 weeks after the European one.
It also looks like the first QWERTY device is not that far behind the all-touch one.
Interesting bit of trivia: Heins currently uses a Samsung Galaxy S III as his second handset!