Speaking with the Associated Press, Heins noted that the Q10 could launch 8-10 weeks after a network has released the all-touch Z10, which is now available in the UK and Canada.
At the BlackBerry 10 launch last week it was clear that the Z10 was the launch device, going on sale just a day after the event, but there was no real mention of the more traditional BlackBerry Q10 and its launch date.
The interview notes that the Q10 would reach the US a month or two behind other parts of the world, which would hint at the phone launching in Europe and Canada first, as the Z10 has done.
At present the Z10 is available in the UK and Canada, but the US won’t get it until mid-March. Following Heins’ estimate of an 8-10 week delay between the Z10 and the Q10, Americans should see the second BlackBerry 10 phone available late May/early June.
The Q10 is a more traditional BlackBerry with a look that’s very similar to the Bold range. It mixes the famous BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard with a super-sharp 3.1-inch HD touchscreen and both front and rear cameras.
A developer version of the Q10 will soon be available for developers to claim, revealed yesterday at BlackBerry Jam as the Dev Alpha C phone.
Whilst we wait for the Q10 to launch, the Z10 is said to already be selling well and defying sales estimates here in the UK.