According to the makers of Blackberry smartphone, a new version running on RIM – Research In Motion will no longer use the physical keyboard, but a touchscreen. The smartphone maker is considering making Blackberry 10 OS accessible to current devices that are already making use of physical keyboards. However, the company declined to comment on the precise time of the launch.
According to the sources, it is anticipated that RIM will start making Blackberry 10 available to the market sometime this year.
Competition in the Smartphone Market
Whereas this move is considered as a big one for the smartphone maker, the company will face stiff competition from iPhone and Android devices that already incorporate touchscreen keyboards. But, this is a big step for RIM since its attempt to introduce into the market touchscreen devices in the past has not been successful.
A majority of corporate consumers have preferred Blackberry smartphone over other devices in the market mainly because of its physical keyboard. This is because, most people find it difficult to type emails and create basic documents using touchscreen keyboards. The launching of the Blackberry 10 system has been delayed in the past due to technicalities. However, this delay will not be experienced further given the fact that iPhone is making great headways into the corporate market. With rumors that Apple is in the process of launching iPhone 5, RIM cannot afford to postpone the launch of the Blackberry 10.
Having seen its sales figures drop by a considerable margin in the last couple of months, RIM is banking heavily on Blackberry 10 system. According to the company, Blackberry 10 system will offer users a number of features such as multimedia, multimedia as well as new apps. According to the sources, plans are already underway for the company to launch Blackberry 10 system later this year. However, it still remains to be seen if the Blackberry 10 systems will turn the dwindling fortunes of the company since most consumers have been preferring iPhone over Blackberry. A number of market analysts stated that they were shocked that it took Blackberry such a long time to release into the market a device that incorporated touchscreen. Having conceded its advantage to Apple, the company will have to put up a spirited fight in order to regain its previous position as the top smartphone maker in the world.
Regaining Market Share
Whereas RIM has dominated the market for a long time due to the quality of its physical keyboard, they failed to capitalize on their rich background. Most market analysts still believe that RIM still has a lot of space available in the market, but they have got to get their act together in order to realize their dream of being the top smartphone maker.
The launch of Blackberry 10 system is not just designed to introduce into the market a touchscreen keyboard, but to bridge the gap with iPhone. Time is the essence for RIM since the more it delays the launch of a touchscreen device, the more market share they lose.
It’s a Guest post from John S Lam.