Anyone got the inside info on why they are waiting so long to release these in America? Should have been available unlocked at launch if they really wanted to regain the hearts and minds of the fickle American consumer.
I don't think the telco lobbying interests reflect the consumer's opinion.
It could be even worse to release in the US with a critical bug than to release later.
Microsoft sometimes release products in New Zealand earlier than the rest of the world, because New Zealand is small, and unlike european countries that are closely connected to each other, it's relatively independent to the rest of the world, which makes it a good place to pilot test products. My friend there is pretty happy for always being able to try newest products.
It really can be a good thing. You get to hand on it first. And if BB find it going well in the rest of the world, they'll probably raise the price when releasing it in the US.