If Barclays Capital analyst Jeff Kvaal is right, Research In Motion will not be able to release its first BBX superphone (the BlackBerry Colt?) in Q1 2012 as it has allegedly been targeting. PlayBook 2.0 delays suggest that the transition to BBX is not proving to be easy and the company apparently wants to avoid releasing a buggy or incomplete product (a lesson learned with the launch of the PlayBook). Kval writes:
“We believe QNX smartphones are delayed beyond management’s last public statements of a 1Q12 release. RIM’s preference to hold the launch until fully ready is the correct decision in our view, though it does imply that management is anticipating delays in the launch. The company has recently shied away from any reaffirmation of the timeline and have had several public forums to do so. … Putting this aside, our math on carrier certification timelines which require at least six months in the US suggests a late 1Q12 launch at best. … However, we believe technical challenges are high as we have seen with the delay of Playbook 2.0, and we therefore consider a mid-year launch more likely and our checks across the distribution channel support this view.”
The research note echoes earlier rumours that also predicted a mid-2012 launch.
What does RIM have to do catch a lucky break?