RIM Co-CEO Blames Hurried Launch for Buggy BlackBerry Storm Software

In a recent interview, one of Research in Motion’s head execs addressed the rough launch of the BlackBerry Storm.

RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said the companies made the crucial Black Friday deadline “by the skin of their teeth,” after missing a planned October debut. Mr. Balsillie said such scrambles — and the subsequent software glitches that need to be fixed — are part of the “new reality” of making complex cellphones in large volumes.

It might be easy to construe that statement as saying we’re in a dystopian future where every phone will launch with crappy software, but I think it’s more about hurrying to meet launch windows imposed by the market as a whole. Apple’s avoiding that pressure by not showing up to Macworld anymore because they want to work on their products until they’re done right. RIM, on the other hand, is more inclined to give the people what they want, which is a new phone in time for Black Friday. Software patches are certainly a part of the “new reality”, but that’s no fallback for launching an unusable device, especially when those updates are few and far between.

In any case, both Verizon and RIM seemed perfectly happy with the launch: Verizon reported single-digit percentage returns, and RIM is pumping out 250,000 units a week to meet demand after selling a half-million devices in the first month. What about you? Who’s happy with their Storm?

[WSJ via Engadget]

About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

fisal

Actually, I got mine from Vodafone Germany with the latest official SW and I’m quite satisfied. Ofcourse it needs another update to iron out a few remaining glitches but it’s not bad as how it seems on the other side of the pond.

The question is, European 9500 better than North American 9530?!
Simon Sage

We definitely hear fewer complaints about the 9500, which makes me think it’s the carrier who’s screwing around too much with the software. In Canada, the 9530 on Telus wasn’t nearly as bad as what I was hearing from Verizon. At worst, the accelerometer is a little sensitive.
Ben

The launch SW on the Vodafone UK version was SHOCKING – quite literally.

People seemed to have a bit of an issue with my commentary on that, but it was all true

Let’s hope the current SW is MUCH MUCH MUCH better …..
evan

I am currently writing this with my 9530. This phone is wonderful other than the lack of apps. I have had barely a problem with it. I am also a loyal verizon customer and the service and phone are both top notch. Maybe because I got my phone in january it has upgraded software but if you are in the market for a cool smart phone, give this a try. While a little complicated at first, it get’s better! Thank you rim!
SkateNY

Glitches are now a part of something I pay for? What’s next? A broken engine should be expected on my next car purchase? A partly visible screen should be expected on my next TV? I should expect that, when visiting a new physician for a routine physical, that he/she misses the fact that I have cancer or diabetes?

Sorry people, but there’s no excuse for the disaster that has become the Blackberry Storm, just as there is no excuse for Microsoft’s most recent debacle, AKA, Windows Vista.

In each case, there is a mature and profitable company with virtually unlimited resources that had more than enough time to do a much better job than they did while, at the same time, charging their customers a premium price for what was hyped as a breakthrough product.

What a shock. Another rushed-to-market iPhone killer bites the dust. The Storm almost makes Microsoft’s Zune look good. And that certainly takes some doing.

Apple’s Steve Jobs set the standard, and continues to stay on the same course: Forget about competing; just do what you do best. And you know what? If Apple wanted to do it, they could become one of the nation’s biggest banks right now. They have zero debt and more cash than any of us could possibly spend in a lifetime.

What irks me most about the Storm — or, more accurately, Storm apologists — is that so many people were so willing to bash reviewers who forewarned them that the Storm is/was a broken toy out of the box — perhaps the most notable reviewer is David Pogue — yet they not only bashed him and others who provided similar reviews, but then went out and bought one anyway.

Worse than this, the so-called positive “reviewers” and self-reported Storm owners who, seemingly paid by the word, told us how much they loved their Storm; how much better it is than the iPhone; how much better it is than anything else available in the Universe. These people are not only reprehensible for their moral failings; they’re disgusting examples of what the most mean-spirited, most greedy and most despicable among us can be.

Stupidity sometimes kills people. Other times, it just helps people part with their money in a speedy fashion. But those who suffer from it ultimately get both.
Marcus

Trust me, I own the iPhone 3g and I feel everyone’s pain when it comes to a buggy smart phone.