BlackBerry's new Z10 smartphone isn't due in the U.S. until March, but a new report indicates the company's QWERTY-packing Q10 might arrive even later.
Following a launch event for the BlackBerry 10 OS and both phones last week, CEO Thorsten Heins said carriers would likely release the Q10 sometime in April. He didn't, however, indicate whether any of those carriers were based in the U.S., according to the Associated Press.
In an interview with the publication published Tuesday (via ABC News), Heins said the Q10 will likely land on a carrier 8-10 weeks after it releases the Z10, with exact dates left up to individual companies. Sprint and AT&T are so far the only U.S. carriers to say they'll support the Q10.
If the Z10 sees a mid-March release, as previously indicated by Heins, that puts its Q10 counterpart hitting shelves in mid-May or as late as early June.
A 'range'
Part of the hold up appears to be lengthy carrier testing, a process that prompted Heins to comment that 8-10 weeks is a "good range" of what to expect from carriers once those companies get ahold of the phone.
Heins said he's actually disappointed the Z10 won't release for another month, noting the testing hurdles U.S. service providers must jump through.
"We need to respect that" Heins told the AP. "Am I a bit disappointed? Yeah, I would be lying saying no. But it is what it is, and we're working with all our carrier partners to speed it up as much as we can."
Can we have BlackBerry too?
In its announcement regarding BlackBerry 10 handsets, Sprint said it would offer the Q10 "later this year," though that could mean next week or as late as December, with no mention of the touch-only Z10.
For its part, AT&T offered no details on launch plans for either the Z10 or Q10.
At this point, the Z10 is available in the U.K. and, as of Tuesday, Canada, with early indicators pointing to the phone selling well.
The U.S. meanwhile waits, and waits, for both phones. A leaked release schedule supposedly from T-Mobile showed a March 27 release date for the Z10, but we can't say for sure how accurate that information is.
BlackBerry plans an aggressive push into the U.S., Heins said, but like many American consumers, he'll just have to stand by until the phones arrive.
