This past Thursday we dropped word that the BlackBerry Bold's release on AT&T could be delayed until August (or even later). Today, the Boy Genius further confirmed our original message. Here's what he had to say:
We’ve just confirmed this now with two high-level sources: the Bold is actually delayed until August on AT&T. It seems like AT&T and RIM are still having software issues with battery life and overheating. It has not been certified by AT&T yet. This new information goes against our previous intel and thoughts, but it really looks like everyone on AT&T either needs to wait it out, get a Bold from Canada, or think impure thoughts. What you thinkin’? RIM = FAIL? Yeah, us too.
Since I'm always an Addict but not always the Expert, here's my question: how can one carrier (AT&T) have these issues while others carriers (Rogers, Vodafone) do not? It seems inevitable that the Bold will soon launch on Rogers. Put your thoughts in the comments. And don't worry, it's ok if you shed a tear or two over this news... I know I did!
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Well, that really blows...
Still wouldn't be surprised if at&t was jerking RIM around. Why would both Rogers and Vodo think its okay...
THIS SXCKZ!!
how accurate is this information because I've read that it was suppose to release with AT&T sometime in September??
Maybe the delay is due to the difference in AT&T's 3G signal vs. the signal produced by Rogers or Vodafones towers. Perhaps AT&T's signal causes a sharp drain in the battery or causes the phone to overheat.
Or...if you want a conspiracy theory...maybe since AT&T and Apple are such bosom buddies, maybe it's simply a delay ploy by the two to steal would-be Bold buyers away from RIM. I mean, there are many out there that have the "I gotta have it now!!" mentality...and could be easily swayed to the new iPhone simply because they're not patient enough to wait. I guarantee you, Apple doesn't want to lose business to RIM.
I think it is unlikely that the ATT towers and signal are at all different from Rogers. ATT used to own a piece of rogers wireless, and they (as I understand it) use the exact same technology and frequency. My guess is that Apple turned the screws on AT&T to hold off to allow any cross shoppers to go Apple's way. The other plausible but totally unpalletable answer could be that Rogers is willing to accept a level of performance that AT&T would not. Lets hope that is not the case.
Your conspiracy theory could be right....delay the Bold for a while because of Iphone2....could AT&T / Apple have a deal that strong ? ...only they'll know that.
Will be interesting to see if the Bold gets released in Europe earlier....You would have thought all these issues with battery etc be sorted now....something odd going on.
Hope theres now not a knock on effect for release of the other devices.
This is just getting rediculous!
I'm waiting for the Javelin!!!
THis is total bull! AT&T knows the BOLD will kill Apple in sales and is holding on purpose.....what they should really understand is the BOLD buyers are not going to be forced to buy the iphone. In fact with such die hard crackberry folks, they will loose the sales as we may end up buying the BOLD from other sources. Shame on you AT&T corporate puppets....shame on you!
Do you actually think that the BOLD is going to "kill" the Iphone in sales? The BOLD is going to provide some healthy competition, but saying that its going to kill its sales is a stretch. As for me im actually kinda glad for the delay. More time to put money aside for this thing. Im not coming up on a upgrade so im going to have to pay the full shot. Ill be happy with my Curve in the meantime :)
How do we know it's passed all the carrier certs for the other carriers, all we have is the same kind of information from them, later this year it will be available, nobody has given a solid date yet, nobody...so why is everyone acting like it's releasing next week? All we've ever heard are rumors...now don't get me wrong, still bums me out...but hey it's better than the initial September rumors I've been hearing
This really sucks, I need a new phone now and have compared and compared the Bold vs. the IPhone and really do want to get the Bold. Boy that sure will be a long time for me to hold off and keep using this crappy razor I'm using since my 8525 has died.
Verizon engineers were still talking about cooling issues at the end of March/early April - the same time that Sprint was announcing a firm release date. Sprint wasn't saying anything about heat issues and they both managed to hit their release dates.
Ah well...i guess it is more dance, dance revolution until it comes out :(
Here is the bottom line: The bold has issues. This should not be suprising since it is RIM's first attempt at HSPA technology and a new OS. AT&T does not like to take chances with its certification. And they would not delay it to sell more iPhones because they are still going to want to sell iPhones in August, and they are launching more amazing phones that month including the omnia from Samsung which looks amazing as well. I am very impressed with how well AT&T has been able to corner the market on the best new phones. Go Blue
I have ATT an cannot upgrade . just upgraded in January to a curve. I might have to buy an unlock one. how soon you can get an unlock one from Online Merchants or wireless providers other than ATT once the first Bold is out for sale?????????
Has there ever been compatibility issues before with using unlocked AT&T blackberry's on the Roger's network?
While I have not used an unlocked ATT blackberry on Rogers, I have used unlocked ATT devices on Rogers. THey work fine.
Crap! My Pearl is 2 years old, my ball is jacked up, and battery is not holding a charge as long anymore...I was going to wait for the Bold since it sounded like the releases was in July but now I'm thinking I might buy a Curve just to hold me over until this thing finally launches...sometime in...well...who knows.
John Mayers BOLD seems to be working fine!!! so if at&t is having issues with this and issues with that, then why the F**k does that D-bags BOLD work???????
It's all lies. Lies LIES LIES!!!!! At&t is feeding us lies.
I am really starting to beileve that AT&T is holding off on realeasing the bold(even though it works fine) just because Apple wants them too.
This is why I went ahead and bought a BB Curve.
I was trying to wait for the BB Bold, but since T-Mobile is still trying to work on providing 3G service everywhere, I came to my senses and ditched my BB 7105t for a BB Curve.
All of this is the typical hype from any carrier out there. They love all this buzz that rumors/early release information gives. I am not surprise by the delayed release date at all.
Everything that happens with these companies is all about money, our money. They will find as many ways possible to fleece us of our money. If it takes dumb people buying on impulse then so be it! More money for them. Screw the customer!
You people are delusional with your conspiracies. There could be relevant issues that is preventing AT&T from launching the phone. You want them to release the phone as is then you all can complain how the battery sucks and why the OS is all buggy, etc? AT&T and Rogers are two different wireless companies and may have different certification standards, which I doubt none of you know. Sheesh lol.
RIM can't get the product straight, and At&t won't certify it, so that means it is Apple's fault?
Here's an idea. Why don't you step out of your BlackBerry cloud where RIM can do no wrong and actually put the blame where it belongs, on RIM. It has nothing to do with Apple or the iPhone 3G, it has nothing to do with At&t being in "Apple's pocket."
The device has problems and RIM is trying to shovel it out the door, At&t has a certification process and says the device isn't ready, so they shoved it right back.
Yeah, definitely not RIM's fault.....
I think several other posts have hit the nail on the head...
1. How is John Mayer using a Bold on AT&T, if they're having software issues. Could it be possible that Rogers and Vodafone are prepared to accept a lower standard of quality? [Being a Rogers customer and former employee in customer relations, I'm actually willing to believe this...(anyone remember the memory leak issues)]
However I have a pre-production model of the Bold and with regular usage my battery does not over heat and lasts about 3 nights and 2 days...Granted I'm not running any carrier specific software...hmmm
2. Marketing, whether or not it will outsell the iPhone is irrelevant, they are creating hype. Both phones will fly off the shelves. People who have been waiting for iPhones likely won't jump shit for BB's and vice versa. People now know what either has to offer and most have decided on one or the other.
I promised myself I wouldn't cry...
Ok, I can see software issues, because I know that at least on some other Smart phones (motoq) there are slight changes from service provider to service provider. But I agree with you, that if there is some battery life/over heating problem it would delay any Bold release. Again, I know only a little about this stuf, but I was under the impression that most networks drain battery the same way. (unless you are roaming or something strange)
Also, I'm fairly new to this whole thing. If a phone was bought from Canada (as BG recommended) how easy is it to use it on the ATT network?
It's going to be an expensive summer.
Do you think this delay will contribute to any other carriers delay here in America???
I hope not :-/
Let's see...we've been wishing, hoping, praying, and betting on the release of OS 4.3 (now renamed OS 4.5) since last fall, and they still can't seem to get a bug-free (or only slightly buggy ) version out the door for us Curve and other owners. So what makes you think the first try at 4.5 is going to be a working product. There's nothing (yet) to prove that Rogers or anyone else is ready to release, so give the iPhone conspiracy a rest.
Besides, if AT&T is supposedly subsidizing the iPhone beyond any other phone (rumored $325), why wouldn't they be the first to want to get more profitable phones into the pipeline? Get a grip folks...
I also sugggest you all read up on AT&Ts certification process:
http://developer.att.com/devcentral/go_to_market/enterprise_software_cer...
AT&T has a long history of this type of delay. I suspect it has more to do with not having a new pricing structure finalized internally, than any actual issues with the BlackBerry. AT&T is not about to let you keep the reasonably low All-you-can-eat EDGE pricing when the new BOLD offers 3G, I fully expect a bump in BIS pricing for the BOLD. I speculate Apple has some influence on the Bold's delay as well, they want plenty of time to tout the new "BlackBerry Like" functionality and would wish to use the long period between the 3G iPhone and the Bold in order to hopefully "convert" or "steal" RIM users.
I may need to change my contest entry-- Oh wait, I'm STILL not going to be State-side by then. LOL
WHY IS JOHN MAYER USING A BOLD ON AT&T IF AT&T NEEDS CERTIFICATIONS? IF THE DEVICES OS IS NOT UP TO PAR? IF THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE BATTERY? IF IT IS OVERHEATING? WTF!!! WE ALL SAW THE PICS OF MAYER WALKING WITH THE BOLD IN HIS HAND....THE PICTURES OF HIS BLOG WHERE THE BOLD WAS FUNCTIONING ON AT&T...WAS THAT ALL JUST A MARKETING GIMMICK? JUST FOR SHOW?
One person, John Mayer, using a Bold means nothing to At&t. They don't care if the device given to him by RIM was ready or not. All he did was put his SIM in it, boom, done. They do care about selling a device to the mass public when it is still buggy though.
Big difference.
John Mayer doesn't have an AT&T branded bold...he just has a bold on AT&T...to quote the previous post - "big difference"
Could be the phone overheats or has OS problems during AT&Ts certification which may include some type of stress testing, which may not be that reproducible in real world conditions, but severe enough for AT&T to ask RIM to correct the issues.
I know you will all say I am a cry baby but come on now...still no 4.5 OS??? and NO Bold?? until late August...I mean September by the way things are going....I am now getting the Iphone 3G...I had it with RIM and their black outs and their B.S.!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, maybe I am missing something but how can the AT&T Blackberry Bold be 'delayed' when no released date has been officially announced?
The mere act of wishing it would be released yesterday by throngs of Blackberry addicts/customers, does not make it delayed or late or postponed.
Heck, I not an addict yet and I wish it would be released as I have decided (barring terrible reviews and/or user experience) that it will be my next phone but I would rather it be available for sale when it is ready for primetime much more than I want to have it yesterday.
This was pretty much what I was going to post...why is there all this talk of a "delay"??? No carrier in the world has announced anything close to a release date...all Rogers did was set up some intro shows, but even they didn't venture out to say when they're going to release it, I think that this is an issue across all Bold's and that Rogers is actually being cruel by showing off the phone to people and then still witholding it until August..
I work in this industry (not going to list carrier and/or manufacturer) but I will say this and this is a true statement: AT&T and Apple's relationship IS that strong to actually push back the BlackBerry Bold. It's not that they are exactly on good terms with each other, it's more so in the contract. Apple can do whatever they want (and they do).
To give you guys an example of how strong the relationship is, last year Apple did a mystery shop on AT&T to see what device the reps were most commonly mentioning. The results came back with an overwhelming "BlackBerry" response. Steve got his panties in a bunch and went into a fit. Shortly thereafter, it is now AT&T POLICY that reps HAVE TO start EVERY SALE by mentioning the iPhone first. It's so embedded into the policy that it can lead up to termination if they don't go by it and you might have seen little signs in your local AT&T stores that say something like "if the iPhone was not offered you can receive a bill credit".
It's a secret within the company, but if you ask some of the reps they will be pretty honest about it and tell you that yea, AT&T and Apple want them pushing the iPhone before all other products.
AT&T delaying this device for battery reasons in my opinion is pretty BS. If Rogers and Voda aren't having problems, then AT&T isn't. This is a ploy by Apple to not have the Bold hurt sales of the iPhone 3G. Simple as that.
If what you say above is true...then all I gotta say is: $*%@ you Apple.
The fact that Rogers is also releasing both the Bold and the iPhone 3G really kills the credibility of your argument.
Side note, I have purchased several phones from several different At&t stores, and not one of them has ever even tried to push the iPhone.
FYI...Total BS. And that's coming directly from a store rep! ME!
I'm gonna go cry myself to sleep tonight...
This comes as no shock to me. Why RIM can't get it's sh*t together is beyond me. I hate Apple, but at least they can SET A RELEASE DATE, ACTUALLY RELEASE THE PHONE ON THAT DAY...Apple just seems like they are so much more on the ball...makes RIM look like a bunch of morons.
That sucks! Hope your wrong. I lost my curve a few weeks ago and was holding out for a bold. Mid August - I can't wait that long; come on AT&T get with the program.
I hate to say this but...If there are problems with the battery life, overheating, etc. then we will all benefit from RIM working the bugs out. I think it's obvious that there is problems considering the OS 4.5 has not even dropped, let alone the OS 4.6. I think we should expect RIM to raise the bar a little bit, and deliver a product better than what we expect, rather than disapoint us. I eagerly await the bold as well, but my situation is a little different considering I resigned with Sprint in December for 2 years, and would like to see what the CDMA version (possibly Niagra 3G?) of the Javelin would be like.
I've been coming to this site everyday waiting for good news on the BB Bold....and this is not good news. All i have to say is that the phone better be flawless if AT&T is willing to keep delaying it.
I'm going to have to agree with the posters who've pointed out that this is **not** a delay as the Bold's release date was never really announced.
There's a big difference between postponing the announcement of a release date, and pushing an announced release date.
I would love to run out and buy a Bold, but I'm going to wait at least a year to give AT&T more time to beef up their 3G coverage. . .
Just my $0.02.
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