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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
RIM to hold off release of Qwerty BlackBerry
‘HARDCORE BlackBerry lovers" might have to wait up to two months after the release of the BlackBerry 10 touchscreen device to get their hands on one with a physical keyboard, a strategic play by Research In Motion that analysts say reflects what customers want.
RIM chief executive Thorsten Heins, who had already indicated a touchscreen model would launch first, said Friday the keyboard version -- known in the tech community as Qwerty -- will come about "30 to 60" days later.
Heins said the company needs to gain market share in the touch-phone segment, especially to address a trend in which employers are allowing staff to use their preferred smartphone for work.
"People... and enterprises love a full-touch device, and, you know, we had to make a choice, and finally we decided really to bring both versions to market very, very close to each other," he said in an interview with MSNBC.
"The BlackBerry lovers, the hardcore BlackBerry lovers, they love this physical keyboard... so make no mistake, we are fully, fully committed to Qwerty."
The physical keyboard is popular with many BlackBerry business users, and in its advertising, the company has touted that as an advantage over Apple and Android phones that rely solely on touchscreens.
The new detail about the closely watched BB10 launch, slated for some time in the first quarter of next year, comes as RIM (TSX:RIM) stock shot up 8.1 per cent following a much less disappointing than expected second-quarter earnings report.
Analysts were surprised and encouraged by the BlackBerry maker's ability to shore up its cash reserves and subscriber base during the quarter -- some had been projecting a steady decline in subscribers starting this quarter -- as the company honed in on becoming leaner by slashing costs.
But analysts also signalled the much-delayed launch of BlackBerry 10 and whether that gets RIM back in the game with tech-savvy consumers are paramount.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 29, 2012 B10
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