BlackBerry Z10 phones are continuing to find success in
Canada and the U.K. thanks to new users of the BlackBerry platform.
BlackBerry’s Richard Piasentin, who oversees U.S. business, said more than half
of the Canadian consumers who have bought the Z10 in the recent launch are new
BlackBerry users.
This news of success from Canada comes as production has
increased for the phone. The company is also finding success across the pond.
U.K. consumers, also new to BlackBerry products, represent more than 33 percent
of Z10 buyers.
Research In Motion Ltd launched its BlackBerry 10 platform
last month with plans to initially introduce new handsets for the OS in
2013. The touch screen Z10 already has
been launched in U.K., Canada, France and Germany; this week it will be
introduced in India and for interested U.S. consumers, the device is still
expected to launch in the middle of March but a specific date has not been
released.
Once carrying a line of popular phones among the corporate
crowd, BlackBerry has hopes of renewing its previous market position as one of
the smartphone brand; however, the company continues to face exceptional competitive
pressure from Apple’s iPhone and a group of devices utilizing Google’s Android
platform, especially from Samsung’s Galaxy offerings.
In addition, the company is battling with Microsoft’s
Windows Phone line. This could see a following from the loyal enterprise group
of its leading Windows operating system and diminish BlackBerry’s control of
this group. And this also brings Nokia Corporation who is the key handset
vendor creating Windows Phone devices.