News of the first BlackBerry 10 operating system (OS) update first emerged last month, and now the update is reportedly rolling out globally.

The new BlackBerry 10 (BB10) OS just made its debut earlier this year, appealing to a whole new audience for the BlackBerry platform. Now, the OS is set to make a few more waves with the first update, BlackBerry 10.1, which is now starting to roll out. The update targets owners of the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones.

The BlackBerry 10.1 was actually expected before the end of April, but its arrival now is good news nonetheless. The update has no official changelog yet, but the developer's build did hint at some of the changes the new update will bring.

The changes and improvements the BlackBerry 10.1 has to offer include PIN-to-PIN messaging, enhanced BlackBerry World store, APN editing enabled, HDR stills, new help demos and walkthroughs, text highlights in green, the ability to turn off alerts for specific apps, and much more. The update weighs in at 1015MB and will take the device to version 10.1.0.238.

According to GSMArena, the Philippines is currently the only location to receive confirmation of arrival for the BlackBerry 10.1 update. This means it may not be available for all countries just yet, but the fact that it started rolling out clearly indicates it will reach increasingly more regions over the next couple of weeks. A global availability should follow soon enough.

Without official word from BlackBerry as to which countries will get the update first, it's difficult to determine when and where the BlackBerry 10.1 will land. If the update is already available for your country, share your experience so other readers know what to expect.

The Canadian company formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM) placed its bets on its new BlackBerry 10 OS and BB10 smartphones, and their success is crucial for the company's relevance in an increasingly competitive market. The BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 handsets generally sparked good reactions, but the company still has a long way to go to regain some of its lost market share.