Nokia Delays N8 Release Date to October [UPDATED]

Just two weeks ago Nokia set the end of September as the official launch date for its flagship Symbian^3 smartphone, the N8, but has now delayed the launch for October (updated with more info from Nokia below).

“In some markets, we had planned to start delivering the N8s to our pre-order customers by the end of September. To ensure a great user experience, we have decided to hold the shipments for a few weeks to do some final amends (…) we expect consumers to get their Nokia N8s during October,” Nokia said in a statement.

The device was supposed to be available at the Nokia Online Shop “during the last week of September,” and on October 1 in UK’s physical stores.

This is another hit for Nokia, which has been struggling to deliver a great competitor to modern smartphones such as the iPhone and top Android models. The N8 should at least partly amend that; its 680 MHz CPU and 256 MB of SDRAM memory probably won’t wipe the floor with the competition, but its main claim to fame is a 12-megapixel camera with Full HD capability.

Recently, Nokia hired Stephen Elop, the former president of Microsoft’s Business division as its CEO, and the EVP of Mobile Solutions Anssi Vanjoki resigned just one day before the company’s Nokia World event. We’re sure it’s a stressful time at Nokia’s headquarters, but delays won’t help the N8 in the eyes of potential buyers.

Update: Nokia claims that this “delay” is actually just a misunderstanding. “We have said we expect to ship the N8 by the end of the third quarter and that hasn’t changed,” Nokia spokesman told AFP.

A blog post from Nokia explains the situation further: “We have received a record number of online pre-orders for the Nokia N8. We had targeted our online pre-order customers to receive their N8s by the end of September. As it can take time from the beginning of shipment to arriving at their doorstep, in full transparency, we have advised our pre-order customers that they should expect their new Nokia N8 in October.“

[via mashable]

Posted in: Nokia