BlackBerry release date disappoints CEO

2013-02-05 07:29

Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins introduces the BlackBerry 10 in New York.

Toronto - The chief executive of BlackBerry says he's disappointed the new BlackBerry won't be released in the US until mid-March, but he says early data suggests sales in the UK are above expectations.

Thorsten Heins said on Monday that he would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed in the mid-March US release date. But he said the US and its phone carriers have a rigid testing system.

BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion, unveiled the new phone last week and announced a March US release date.

The first device in the new crop of revamped BlackBerrys will be the touch screen Z10. It was released in the UK last Thursday and will be released in Canada on Tuesday.

It is also expected to released in South Africa in March 2013 and reports from the company suggest that all the mobile operators will stock the device.

- AP