BlackBerry Classic and OS 10.3 arriving later this year

In case you missed the fine print in today's earlier post about the OS 10.3 SDK, there were a few things that should be noted to clear up any confusion. While we all anxiously await the arrival of OS 10.3 and all that comes along with it, we won't be seeing it for a few more months still — but it won't be limited to just new BlackBerry devices.

Now that you know that BlackBerry 10.3 targets new hardware and that the BlackBerry Classic device is arriving this year, I'd like to clarify that the BlackBerry Classic will launch with BlackBerry 10.3.1. BlackBerry 10.3.1 will also be available to all current BlackBerry 10 smartphones as an OS update later this year. So the time you spend testing your app right now will help get it ready for upcoming and in-market BlackBerry 10 devices.

As detailed in the post today, the BlackBerry Classic will be running OS 10.3.1 when it launches later this year — but all the goods from OS 10.3 won't be restricted to just new hardware. The 10.3 goodies will be available as an upgrade for current BB10 devices as well, just not right away. The unannounced 1440x1440 device will get 10.3 and then all current in-market devices will be upgraded to 10.3.1. If you own a Z10, Q10, Z30 or Q5, you're not being skipped, you'll just have to wait for 10.3.1 instead of going directly to 10.3.

So there you have it — the BlackBerry Classic will see OS 10.3.1 first, then it will work its way to other devices as well. So no one is missing out, and you won't need new hardware to get OS 10.3.1. Done deal.