An anonymous source has allowed the BlackBerry users site, BlackBerryOS.com, get their hands on a BlackBerry 10 roadmap for 2013. As per this document, Research In Motion (RIM) is planning to release five new smartphones and tablets in 2013 based on the newest operating system BlackBerry 10.
These include BlackBerry 10 London/Nevada in Q1, BlackBerry 10 upgrade for PlayBook in Q1/Q2, BlackBerry device codenamed "Nashville" in Q2/Q3, BlackBerry 10 inch PlayBook "Blackforest" in Q3, and BlackBerry device codenamed "Naples" in Q3/Q4.
According to BlackBerryOS.com, RIM plans to launch BlackBerry 10 devices first in Europe, about three-four weeks prior to launching BlackBerry 10 in North America. The reason is simple; the European markets and media outlets are more receptive to BlackBerry than the North American counterparts.
Other reports revealed that RIM will unveil two new BlackBerry smartphones in the first quarter of 2013 powered by the new operating system, which has yet to be released. One of the devices, codenamed London, will be a touchscreen. While the other, codenamed Nevada, will feature a physical keyboard.
The report also suggests that RIM is planning to release a 4G-version of the BlackBerry Playbook in the fourth quarter, followed by a new tablet codenamed Blackforest in the third quarter of next year.
With the postponement of release of its Blackberry 10 line of smartphones, a $500 million loss in the first quarter, layoff of 5,000 employees and a 15 percent drop in stock price, most analysts think that chances for RIM's recovery as a major factor in the smartphone market are remote. In the wake of RIM’s current predicament, Jeff Lotman, CEO of brand licensing agency Global Icons, thinks that BlackBerry brand may have reached a point of no return.
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Edited by
Brooke Neuman