BlackBerry Says Z10 is Exceeding Expectations in UK
BlackBerry says feedback from UK partners has been great.
The smartphone era has not been kind to the company formerly known as RIM. Though one would have thought BlackBerry would have had an easy time when it came to all things smartphone, the company was left behind while competitors like Apple and Google took the lion's share of the consumer smartphone market. BlackBerry is betting on BlackBerry 10 to turn things around, though. The company launched the OS last Wednesday, and the first BB10 phone, the Z10, went on sale in the UK just one day later.
Six days on, it seems BlackBerry is pleasantly surprised by UK sales. According to Pocket-Lint, European Managing Director Stephen Bates told attendees at the BlackBerry Jam developer conference in Amsterdam that the Z10 is doing better than expected in the United Kingdom.
"The response we have seen exceeded all of our launch partners expectations," he's quoted as saying. "Our partners have told us that they have sold out in some of their key locations."
Indeed, demand for the phone has seen some units fetch as much as $1,700 on auction sites like eBay. The Z10 went on sale in Canada this week, but won't be hitting the United States until March. The latest rumors say it may not arrive until the end of March.
The Z10 packs a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, a 4.2-inch display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of on board storage, an 8-megapixel camera in the back, a 2-megapixel camera up front. Be sure to check out our live blog of the event, as well as our unboxing, and our first impressions of the device.
A Brief Look at the Technical Specs of BlackBerry Z10, Q10
BB10 Interview With the QNX Boss of BlackBerry OS
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Check out our hands-on with BlackBerry 10 on the Z10.
Interview With the BlackBerry Z10, Q10 Industrial Designer
A Complete Video Walkthrough of BlackBerry 10 OS
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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horaciopz The most and convenient thing about blackberry its their BBM, the security of such app will be a plus for most users, the phone itself its getting more, actual for say it in some way... I really hope that blackberry rise once more and stay near... I remember when Nokia was left on dust, and now they getting on date with their Lumia Series...Reply -
Cryio It's a nice looking phone for people who only want a sleek phone. What did you expect? :D I would buy one.Reply -
julllly they better have a new model ready to roll out in 6 months, its sad, but its what consumer expect these days, as apple and samsung keep dropping new models every 6 months, I am not saying its needed, to be honest its rather ridiculous releasing models with little updates. I do wish blackberry well as long as they stay strong #3 spot and stay ahead of the marketing game.Reply -
rebel1280 The question is will they do the same thing as MS with WP7, abandon it after a few months of release.Reply -
chicofehr I am more interested in them updating their OS often rather then the device. The hardware is fine, I just want regular OS updates and I am fine. People are crazy to be buying a new phone 2 times a year. No wonder people are declaring bankruptcy. Updating it 2 times a year is like saying that the previous one sucked. If its good then it should be good for 2 years. Also I hope they update it like the playbook as its got about 10+ updates since it was released.Reply -
hate machine L0tusKeep cooking RIM. Can't wait to try out the new OS...not a big Android/iOS fan.Reply
You mean keep cooking Blackberry? -
tntom Reply
Totally agree! I will never buy another Windows Phone again. My WP7 is great but WP7.8 is a complete insult. And very few apps will be updated or continue support. WM6 = abandoned; Danger = abandoned; WP7 = abandoned; WP8 = forget it you are worse than Apple to me. Can't wait to get my next Android device.10433260 said:The question is will they do the same thing as MS with WP7, abandon it after a few months of release.
For those who just want a smartphone that works... BlackBerry seems to be the best of Apple's closed robust iOS; Android's modern UI; and BlackBerry's security.
@Julllly Yes if they want to survive they will definitely need an updated model in 6-9 months. And not just their qwerty model. Hopefully a model that the screen goes all the way to the bezel.