Is BlackBerry’s Z10 smartphone the game-changer the Waterloo, Ont.-based company was hoping it would be? It’s too early to count any chickens, but the early returns are positive.
The buzz around the launch at the end of January was very positive, and CIBC analyst Todd Coupland reported last month that 50 per cent of X10 pre-registrations in Canada were from users of other phones. And it appears that interest may have translated into sales.
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A report from BGR cites multiple BlackBerry sources as confirming half of the Z10’s sales in Canada have been to customers that were using other platforms. In England, the figure is one third.
If the figures are accurate – and BlackBerry has been able to win over Android and iPhone users, and not just keep the flame alive with its base – it bodes well for CEO Thorsten Heins’ plans to turn the company’s fortunes around and regain at least a hint of its former glory.
And for the BlackBerry diehards, the Q10 – with the ubiquitous QWERTY keyboard – should launch next month.