With media, analysts and investors putting much pressure on Research in Motion‘s upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices as critical to the future of the company, Network World reporter Al Sacco recently got the a chance to preview one of the new smartphones:
”The majority of feedback from the media on the first two BlackBerry 10 devices has been positive. But I’m still not sure these two devices, and the additional BlackBerry 10 handsets RIM releases next year, will be enough to reverse RIM’s rapidly declining market share and save the BlackBerry brand.”
(Click here to read “New BlackBerry 10 Devices Impress – But Can They Save RIM?“)
Frankly, I’m not sure there’s anything RIM could do with its next generation devices that would please its detractors, although I hope to be proven wrong. I’ve been a RIM user for over four years now, and have been quite happy with my BlackBerry Bold 9900. No one does the hard qwerty device better, and that’s still important for me and (unfortunately fewer and fewer) other users.
In the end, customers as always will vote with their wallets. Apple’s iPhone announcements are usually panned by journalists who exclaim “that’s all that’ new” and then go on to set sales records. RIM hasn’t had that same luck. We’ll see next year what customers think of BlackBerry 10.