Last month, SAP announced that it had delayed the release of Business ByDesign, the supplier's long-awaited software-as-a-service offering for small and medium sized businesses, after weak first-quarter financial results.

But during today's press conference here at Sapphire 2008 in Berlin, SAP co-chief executive Leo Apotheker today put the record straight, in what must be a strong candidate for the most innovative explanation for delays to a major product release by any vendor.

Apparently, Business ByDesign now has an "adjusted" rollout. In particular, SAP made a decision a while ago to accelerate the development of the product and so put extra investment into the project.

Now, all that has happened is that acceleration has been taken away, and Business ByDesign is still firmly on track to meet the delivery schedule that existed before the acceleration was put in place.

So, remember that – not delayed, merely not being accelerated any longer.