The good folks in Canada at RIM announced they have to delay their Blackberry 10 device until March 2013. Not sure if they know up there but they cant afford anymore delays on their devices. They announced the Blackberry 10 device a year ago. In that time Android has released a slew of devices and Apple released 2 iPhones. And they wonder why they are behind in the smartphone market.
“We had hoped for a January launch but now see a March launch as more likely,” he writes. That would mean no sales of the next generation phones in the February quarter. “Also, our checks point to a tough November quarter, with replenishment rates decreasing as channel partners are cautious on holding RIM inventory. We think the business uncertainty means parties are unlikely to acquire or license from RIM until BB10 launches.”
“We still believe a third ecosystem [in addition to iOS and Android] will emerge, but the probability of BB10 filling the role is wholly dependent on whether RIM can convince Samsung, Huawei, and ZTE to license,” he writes. “Baidu, Huawei, and others are pursuing their own operating systems. We also see Win 8 as somewhat of a threat but conflicting reviews, less-than-stellar developer feedback, and a desire by Microsoft to make hardware directly make Win 8.”
[Forbes]
