RIM CEO: Buggy smartphone software here to stay

Software glitches that require fixing are part of the "new reality" of making smartphones in large volumes, according to RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie. The statement was made in a candid interview with the Wall Street Journal in which Balsillie also admitted that the BlackBerry Storm smartphone met the crucial Black Friday deadline "by the skin of their teeth."

Indeed, people close to the launch reported that the device was rushed to market despite known glitches to the phone's operating system, which was the first touch screen device ever released by RIM. The fact that BlackBerry OS has always revolved around a keyboard and click-wheel--and since last year, a track-ball for navigation--certainly did not help speed things up.

However, while some might deride the decision, the company did go on to sell roughly 500,000 units in the first month after its November 21 launch. The figures do seem off the pace of the competing 2.4 million iPhone 3G sold in the first quarter, though Balsillie did reveal that the company is making some 250,000 a week to meet demand. So the jury's still out on the total number of Storms that will be sold in first quarter sales.

Even so, RIM already considers the Storm "an overwhelming success." Echoing his sentiments, a Verizon representative told the WSJ that "the device has lived up to expectations." Without divulging any figures, the representative did add that the percentage of returns of the device is in the "single digits." If anything, this statement only affirms the reality that buggy smartphone software is here to stay.

To read more:
- check out this article from Engadget
- check out this article from the Wall Street Journal

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