BlackBerry 9000 to be announced May 12th at WES 2008
You heard it here first, people! The much-awaited BlackBerry 9000 will be announced on May 12th, the first day of WES 2008 in Orlando, FL. There will even be booths setup so y'all can demo the device to your heart's delight.
Context & Ripple Effects
The BlackBerry 9000 has been leaking in stages for months — first as early whispers in October 2007, then a fuller spec dump in November. By year's end the reaction had turned skeptical, with CrunchGear asking whether the device was a major disappointment. A confirmed announcement date and on-site demo booths at WES would move the story from rumor to hands-on verdict.
First-order effects
- RIM gets a formal launch stage for the 9000 on day one of WES 2008 in Orlando, with demo booths letting attendees and press judge the leaked specs against the real hardware.
- The months of leak-driven expectations — including the 'disappointment' framing — now collide with the actual product reveal.
Second-order effects
- A strong 9000 showing pressures RIM to accelerate its broader 2008 pipeline; within weeks the rumor mill had the Seawolf 9110 joining the Javelin, Aurora and Thunder as a crowded device slate.
- Carriers and enterprise buyers get a concrete refresh cycle for the flagship line, sharpening RIM's pitch against consumer-touch rivals heading into the rest of 2008.
Third-order effects
- WES establishes itself as RIM's annual rhythm for flagship reveals — a pattern visible again when RIM planned a Storm-alike U.S. announcement at WES 2009 — while the leak-then-confirm cycle becomes standard for handset launches.
- If the 9000 lands well, it buys RIM time in its transition from keyboard-centric enterprise devices toward the touchscreen consumer market it would eventually have to enter.
The trend: The story is an early data point in the shift from stealthy product launches to leak-managed, conference-stage reveals as smartphone competition intensified.