Research In Motion (RIM) of Canada and Nokia of Finland, case studies smack of many similarities. After dispensing with Symbian OS, Nokia shook hands with Microsoft’s Windows OS for their Lumia range of smartphones to take on with popular Android and iOS. Although, Nokia had put all their interests in one basket of Windows OS, yet of late, they have achieved a little bit success in the last quarter of 2012 with morale-boosting sales of its flagship Lumia 920 and other Lumia devices. Similarly, after experiencing lot of difficulties with its existing OS, RIM has been developing its latest BlackBerry 10 to run its new range of smartphones, which is scheduled to be launched on 30th January. It is do or die situation for RIM and its new platform must click otherwise it will be a question of survival.
Surprisingly, both the companies have excellent hardware and had they tried Android OS in their devices then the scenario of smartphone market would have been different altogether. But, for strange reasons, both the companies have decided not to run Android OS on their smartphones despite the fact that even some Chinese companies, who have not much experience in making smartphones, have tasted blood by introducing their smartphones with Android and are optimistic to sell more than their expectations.
But the cheerful news for RIM is that the users are lining up to try its new BlackBerry 10 platform. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is helping customers prepare to switch to its soon-to-be-launched BlackBerry 10 smartphones that it hopes will help it reclaim market share from rivals such as Apple Inc.
The company was “very enthused by the engagement and response of our customer base” to a program aimed at persuading them to adopt the BlackBerry 10 devices, Bryan Lee, senior enterprise accounts director, told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
Whether RIM will be able to reclaim market share will depend on the response from RIM’s top clients, like companies and government agencies, who have long valued the strong security features that BlackBerry devices offer.
Lee said more than 1,600 customers in North America had registered for its recently launched BlackBerry 10 Ready Program and more than a thousand were actively using the program, which offers customers access to services, information and tools to ease their transition to the BlackBerry 10 and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10.
RIM also said its BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10, which runs the new devices on corporate networks, was in beta testing with more than 130 major government agencies and corporations in North America. Lee also added that clients that were beta testing the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 included more than 60 Fortune 500 companies and top North American government agencies.
RIM promises that its new line of devices will be faster and smoother than existing BlackBerry phones and will boast a large catalog of apps, crucial to the success of any new line of smartphones.
Shares of RIM were up 3.8 per cent at $15.03 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, after Visa approved the smartphone company’s method of handling secure mobile payments; the technology will potentially allow users to tap their smartphones on credit card readers and pay for purchases.
The coming month will be very crucial for RIM after launch of its BlackBerry 10 smartphones and going by the pre-launch response, this development will prove game changer for RIM. Good and encouraging news for BlackBerry lovers and I am one of them.
