Blackberry Storm Released With Known Bugs

In a recent WSJ article RIM’s co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie told a reporter that the Blackberry Storm was released with known bugs.

“He 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.”

This may surprise some, but it really doesn’t surprise me at all. With all the hype around cutting edge cell phone releases, the big manufacturers and carriers know that bugs aren’t going to slow down sales. The theory in most technology companies is to get the product out to the public and make fixes later. Since the window for opportunity is so short most companies will miss that small window if they wait for the technology to be perfect. As a result you can surely expect future smartphones to have bugs and glitches when released. Don’t worry though, you can bet that the manufacturers are already working on the software releases for the bug fixes even before the phone hits store shelves. As Mr. Balsillie said it is a new reality.