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RIM: BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Arriving Q1 2013 (Update)

By Sidney Wong - on 29 Jun 2012, 9:39am

RIM: BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Arriving Q1 2013 (Update)

 

*Update: RIM announced that its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system will be delayed and devices running on it will only arrive in Q1 2013. Citing the reason of 2012 schedule being "no longer realistic", CEO Thorsten Heins assured investors that BlackBerry 10 remains the company's core focus, and that the delay is not due "to the design or features of the software."

If you are expecting to get a BlackBerry 10-powered device in the first half of 2012, you are out of luck. Research in Motion (RIM) has stated that these devices will only be launched in late 2012. 

Apparently, RIM has identified a specific dual-core processor to power the next line of BlackBerry 10 devices but it will not be available until mid-2012. As a result, the company is looking at "the latter part of calender 2012" for a market launch.

Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM - "To achieve this goal, we need a highly integrated dual-core LTE platform. The processor we selected offers industry-leading power and efficiency that also allows us to deliver the industrial design that we believe is critical to success in this market segment. This chipset will not be available until mid-2012, and as a result of this and certain other factors, we now expect our first BlackBerry 10 smartphone to come to market in the latter part of calendar 2012."

This announcement comes at a bad timing when RIM is faced with increasing pressure on all fronts. Not only is it rapidly losing market share in the U.S, it also suffered a major BlackBerry service outage in October which affected millions of users globally. In addition, RIM is not doing very well in the tablet scene with disappointing BlackBery PlayBook sales and declining profits quarter after quarter.

Although the senior management of RIM had came out to defend the company's plans (1) (2), it makes us wonder whether this delay would be the last nail in the coffin for the faltering giant. 

Source: RIM Investor Call via The Verge, Marketwatch via The Verge

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