Glitchy Phone Software is "New Reality?"

While consumers constantly deal with malfunctioning hardware and buggy/glitched software, has it become a "new reality" and accepted norm?

The question stems from a recent WSJ article on the BlackBerry Storm and its "bumpy" start. Launched in late November of 2008, the touchscreen BlackBerry saw sales around 500,000 in its first month. Nothing to sneeze at by any means, but when compared to the elephant in the room, it's on track to fall very short of the iPhone's 2.4 million sold in its first quarter.

Be it touchscreen troubles, glitchy software or sluggish performance, many Storm users think the smartphone is falling short of expectations. "I found myself wanting to throw it in the ocean due to my frustration with its overall usability," said one New Jersey Storm user, who returned his phone several weeks after purchase.

So where does the lack of performance stem from? According to RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie, the Storm barely hit its pre- holiday mark, even after it missed its October debut. When a product is rushed off the line to meet peak sales dates, the hardware and software suffers. "Mr. Balsillie said such scrambles -- and the subsequent software glitches that need to be fixed -- are part of the "new reality" of making," said the WSJ.

Of course, there is always the flipside of the coin. For all the discontent Storm owners, there are just as many - probably more - who enjoy the new device. While sales figures for the Storm beyond the first month aren't available, Balsillie said RIM is producing 250,000 Storms a month to meet demand. While it may not catch on with the same fervor as the iPhone, the Storm is still one of the most popular smartphones out there. "Daniel Mahoney, a financial and management consultant in Philadelphia, said he's happy with his purchase of the Storm," said the Journal, "and added other early buyers are being too critical. "No single device is going to be the end-all be-all for everyone," he said."

Typically, the second generation of a product is the one everyone goes after (see iPhone 3G). If the Storm follows this pattern, the next Storm may be one of the hottest (and best) phones of 2009/2010.