The first of Research In Motion’s long-awaited BlackBerry 10 smartphones may be coming in October, according to a recent report. The latest update to the BlackBerry platform was originally slated to launch late last year, but has seen repeated delays.
Citing inside sources, N4BB.com is reporting that RIM will announce the first BlackBerry 10 device in the middle of August, and that it will release sometime in the first half of October. Interestingly, the first device in the BlackBerry 10 lineup is said to forego a physical QWERTY keyboard in favor of a touchscreen-only interface. Those wanting a more traditional QWERTY BlackBerry will reportedly have to wait until the first quarter of 2013. Even then, though, the keyboard is likely to be of the slide-out variety, rather than the more familiar half-keyboard, half-screen BlackBerry we’re used to.
The report also says that RIM will be making a major marketing push for the BlackBerry 10 platform. That should come as no surprise. RIM has struggled significantly in the last few years, partly due to delays in the BlackBerry 10 OS, and partly due to inability to keep up with Apple’s iPhone and the Android platform. BlackBerry has suffered severe losses to both platforms – especially iOS.The BlackBerry 10 OS – which will also be coming to the PlayBook tablet – could be RIM’s lifeline if it turns out to be successful.
What do you think? Should RIM lead off with a touchscreen-only BlackBerry? Do you think BlackBerry 10 will be enough to save RIM? Let us know in the comments.
