The Nokia N8, which had been offered up for pre-order, has experienced some last minute delays that will push back the shipping date by a few weeks according to the Finnish smartphone maker. The Symbian^3 device is seeing strong demands and the delay will come probably as a disappointment for both consumers and for Nokia, the latter of which is trying to gain momentum in the smartphone race against tough competition from Apple and Google.

According to Nokia, “The amount of preorders has exceeded our expectations and we are working hard to deliver the Nokia N8 to the market. In some markets, we had planned to start delivering the Nokia N8s to our pre-order customers by the end of September. To ensure a great user experience, we have decided to hold the shipments for a few weeks to do some final amends. We’re thrilled with the response that we’ve had to the Nokia N8 and assure everyone who’ve pre-ordered it already that it’ll be worth the wait! We expect consumers to get their Nokia N8s during October.”

It looks like “some final amends” may mean some last minute bug fixes, especially when coupled with the comment about “ensur a great user experience.”

Update: Nokia is now claiming that this is all a misunderstanding; according to a statement made to PC World, shipments are still expected to arrive at the end of the third quarter. Nokia has simply been warning customers, who were expecting their handsets at the end of September, that the shipping process from factory to recipient can take time, and that orders therefore may not arrive until October. Still sounds like a delay to us, if only a small one. (via: PC World)

(via: Engadget)