BlackBerry Bold delays - Wireless Turkeys 2008

Why is it a turkey?

Research In Motion and later AT&T Mobility might have been reading Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" when they devised the launch of the BlackBerry Bold. 

It was first announced in May that AT&T customers would get their hands on the device in July for $300. Then, at the end of June, it was announced that the July launch would be scrapped and pushed back to August as RIM looked to stabilize the device for AT&T's HSPA network. August came and went, as did September. On Oct. 1, the blog Boy Genius Report said that because of problems with the OS that were being fixed by RIM, the launch would be delayed even further. Later that week, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said that the phone was delayed because the company wanted to make sure it works properly on AT&T's HSPA network.

On Oct. 22, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega let it slip that the phone would be available on Nov. 4 for $299.99 with a two-year service contract and after a mail-in rebate. And indeed, the phone launched on that day, months after users thought they would get their hands on it.