Customers eager for the first batch of Research in Motion BlackBerry handsets running the new BlackBerry 10 platform are generally expecting two phones to launch this quarter – the all-touch Z10 and the X10 with QWERTY keyboard.
Customers eager for the first batch of Research in Motion BlackBerry handsets running the new BlackBerry 10 platform are generally expecting two phones to launch this quarter – the all-touch Z10 and the X10 with QWERTY keyboard. Another lower-end device is also expected, but has yet to be leaked extensively like the high-end Z10 and midrange X10.
However, there may be more to come, according to RIM Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben.
The executive confirmed last week that there will be six BlackBerry 10 phones due for release this year, three of them with physical keyboards and three adopting the new (at least for BlackBerry) all-touch keyboard system. Some tech sites believe there may be more, but variants and spin-offs aside, six BB10 devices sounds reasonable enough for the calendar year 2013.
As for what type handsets would be released after the Z10 and X10, Canadian tech site, Mobile Syrup, is speculating that the next few devices will be entry-level and midrange phones, probably to be released in the second half of 2013. Despite losing favor in many parts of the Western world, RIM continues to be a popular phone maker in emerging markets, particularly Southeast Asia; indeed, it would be reasonable to expect some inexpensive devices for these consumers.
BlackBerry 10 will be officially launched on January 30, together with the Z10 and X10, but the actual release of the phones may come a bit later, most likely sometime in February.