Report: ‘Bumpy Start’ For BlackBerry Storm

Ed Sutherland ()

Report: ‘Bumpy Start’ For BlackBerry StormThe BlackBerry Storm, RIM’s first touch-screen handset, has gotten off to a rough start in its bid to compete with Apple’s iPhone, according to a report Monday.

The phone, plagued by technical problems, sold 500,000 units a month after RIM unveiled the device Nov. 21, according to the Wall Street Journal. By contrast, Apple sold 2.4 million iPhone 3Gs in its first quarter.

Jim Balsillie, RIM’s co-chief executive, said swatting bugs after a product hits the shelves is now the “new reality” as cell phone makers attempt to duplicate Apple’s success with the iPhone.

Only “by the skin of their teeth” was RIM able to introduce the Storm prior to Black Friday, Balsillie said.

Verizon Wireless, the exclusive carrier for the Storm and RIM in December released the first patch to fix initial problems. The carrier told the newspaper “future releases” will address other errors reported by owners.

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About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • Scott C

    Just like the ipod. Everyone tries, everyone fails to duplicate the Apple
    experience. They are just fighting for a VERY distant second place.

  • http://www.technovia.co.uk Ian Betteridge

    If they maintained 500,000 per month, that would still be 1.5 million in the quarter – not bad considering the horrible publicity the Storm got.

  • matt

    I got a Storm on 11/25, finally returned back on 1/4. It’s a piece of shit.

  • Matt///

    So far… NOTHING beats an iPhone.
    And that’s one statement that has no threat.