Nokia delays N8 smartphone until October for “final amends”

Ouch. Nokia confirmed today that its upcoming N8 smartphone is going to be delayed for several weeks — moving from a late September release to some time in October, Engadget reports.

In a statement, the company said that N8 pre-orders have far exceeded its expectations, and it’s holding off on shipments to “make some final amends.” The company might be rushing to resolve a global software issue with the phones, Dutch site All About Phones reports. Alternatively, we can read the company’s announcement as: “Oh crap, we didn’t make enough phones, so let’s hold off on shipments to avoid supply issues later.”

A slight delay isn’t a complete catastrophe for Nokia. Those faithful to the brand will still pick up the N8, and it’s certainly better news than a November delay, which some were speculating. But it’s a clear sign of weakness at a time where Nokia needs to lure users away from the iPhone and Android.

There’s no doubt that Nokia has a lot to prove with the N8, the first smartphone to run its Symbian^3 operating system. The N8 will be Nokia’s flagship device until its more ambitious Meego platform — a joint open-source operating system developed in conjunction with Intel — launches, starting with its N9 phone. But it’s going to be some time before Meego devices are released. For now, its Symbian^3 devices — which includes the E7, C6, and C7 phones — are the closest things it has to iPhone/Android competitors.

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