[Whitecaps]

Even though BB is still a dominant player in Canada and holds around 25% of the smartphone users there, Canada's population is only less than 35 millions. Whereas BB only holds 6% market share in the US, but the US has over 300 million people!!! So, all in all, the total number of users in the US is still greater than in Canada!

[FranzJoseph]

It makes sense to me they wanted to have some good sales in BB-friendly countries like Canada and the UK so then the hype from those countries would spill into the USA.

And so far I'd say it's working.

[aloon69]

The USA being last in something is probably good for it.

American exceptionalism be damned ... patience is a virtue. Be thankful for what you receive , even if you are served last. We've all been waiting patiently as you have.

[Kevstra]

I never considered that FranzJoseph... I was wondering why they might have delayed it (the carrier approval reason in the US seems like BS), and that might be why.

[Emu the Foo]

What are your credentials? Are you or have u ever been CEO of a major tech company or any company for that? Have you seen thorstein's portfolio? I'm not calling you out but I'm saying that this man and the people he hired have a decent idea of what they are doing.

[MattUK]

Given that RIM before they rebranded lost some key government users in the US and also market share (to the points above) to dive straight into the market that has moved away is a risk.. launching it elsewhere, getting some entertainment buy in (Alisha Keyes etc) to help build the brand not only gets it noticed, but also gives them a month or two of feedback on features that people in the US claim to demand, and perhaps they are planning to release an update to the OS prior to the launch that enables some features that are key to that market to try and win back some of the lost enterprise as well as consumers.

Not only that, but if you launch in a market where you don't know how many you will sell, it makes it hard to have sufficient stock, or end up with too much stock and have another Playbook on your hands, at least in the markets it launches in, they have an idea of the number required.. and even now, the stock in the UK is getting tight from certain areas.

Also, BlackBerry is big in the Asia markets, and if the press is to be believed, Apple are about to launch a 'budget' version of their iphone targetting the lower end and Asia markets, so thats a big risk to an area of growth for BlackBerry.. they have to protect that, and get in there quick.

[Emu the Foo]

Given that RIM before they rebranded lost some key government users in the US and also market share (to the points above) to dive straight into the market that has moved away is a risk.. launching it elsewhere, getting some entertainment buy in (Alisha Keyes etc) to help build the brand not only gets it noticed, but also gives them a month or two of feedback on features that people in the US claim to demand, and perhaps they are planning to release an update to the OS prior to the launch that enables some features that are key to that market to try and win back some of the lost enterprise as well as consumers.

Not only that, but if you launch in a market where you don't know how many you will sell, it makes it hard to have sufficient stock, or end up with too much stock and have another Playbook on your hands, at least in the markets it launches in, they have an idea of the number required.. and even now, the stock in the UK is getting tight from certain areas.

Also, BlackBerry is big in the Asia markets, and if the press is to be believed, Apple are about to launch a 'budget' version of their iphone targetting the lower end and Asia markets, so thats a big risk to an area of growth for BlackBerry.. they have to protect that, and get in there quick.

Excellent point about the Asian markets. They have to beat iphone to the punch there as well as most over seas markets and Canada. In the usa we all know it's about what's in and bb hasn't been for a while. They need to build momentum and like stated above if other countries like it then more folks will talk and there will be over spill into the usa

[Whitecaps]

Given that RIM before they rebranded lost some key government users in the US and also market share (to the points above) to dive straight into the market that has moved away is a risk.. launching it elsewhere, getting some entertainment buy in (Alisha Keyes etc) to help build the brand not only gets it noticed, but also gives them a month or two of feedback on features that people in the US claim to demand, and perhaps they are planning to release an update to the OS prior to the launch that enables some features that are key to that market to try and win back some of the lost enterprise as well as consumers.

Not only that, but if you launch in a market where you don't know how many you will sell, it makes it hard to have sufficient stock, or end up with too much stock and have another Playbook on your hands, at least in the markets it launches in, they have an idea of the number required.. and even now, the stock in the UK is getting tight from certain areas.

Also, BlackBerry is big in the Asia markets, and if the press is to be believed, Apple are about to launch a 'budget' version of their iphone targetting the lower end and Asia markets, so thats a big risk to an area of growth for BlackBerry.. they have to protect that, and get in there quick.

Great point about the Asian consumers.... Indonesia, India, and South Africa need to get their hands on the new Z10 ASAP!

[tiziano27]

I think the app situation won't change much in 7 weeks. It's not enough time to improve the OS in a significant way either. What do you expect? BlackBerry (ex-RIM) suddenly becoming extremely efficient in comparison to previous years?

How many units sold in Canada and UK can be considered good momentum? Can they achieve that figure with a product that isn't ready?

BB10 won't be popular in emerging markets without BIS.

[MattUK]

Actually, yes I do.. thats why they have been restructuring and changing how they approach things.. they have to be more efficient or they will vanish.

[Emu the Foo]

I think the app situation won't change much in 7 weeks. It's not enough time to improve the OS in a significant way either. What do you expect? BlackBerry (ex-RIM) suddenly becoming extremely efficient in comparison to previous years?

How many units sold in Canada and UK can be considered good momentum? Can they achieve that figure with a product that isn't ready?

BB10 won't be popular in emerging markets without BIS.

Didn't they get like 15k apps in the 2 app-athons? That's 15k in about 6 days. So I can see alot of increase in 7 weeks+

[Whitecaps]

7 more weeks before the US release!!! RIM needs to tell all of their employees to work overtime til the release in the US!