Q10 = RIM saviour, or blip before crash?

[DukeN]

So apparently Q10 demand has been very strong (anecdotally). RIM saying they expect sales to be in the tens of millions.
http://www.thestar.com/business/tec...y_ceo_sees_q10_sales_in_tens_of_nillions.html

So does this mean a revival of RIM, or just a flash in the pan?

Also, perhaps Anandtech can do a Q10 or Z10 review sometime this year?

 

[Brian Stirling]

Probably the best seller they've had in about 3 years.


Brian

 

[KentState]

It's a blip before they slowly fade out. Even the cell companies are not really taking BB as serious anymore.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So does this mean a revival of RIM, or just a flash in the pan?

It is not going to put RIM back at the top of the market again. RIM hopes to sell 10s of millions of its phone, but Samsung hopes to sell 100 million SGS4s. It is a different scale.

But it could be enough to keep them around as a company, especially in international markets.

 

[Oyeve]

Blip before BLAM!

 

[s44]

Also, perhaps Anandtech can do a Q10 or Z10 review sometime this year?

I mentioned this in the other thread, but there's a holdup with the battery test. There isn't an app that can both keep the screen on (which is apparently absurdly difficult in BB10) and, you know, allow browsing websites.

 

[DukeN]

I mentioned this in the other thread, but there's a holdup with the battery test. There isn't an app that can both keep the screen on (which is apparently absurdly difficult in BB10) and, you know, allow browsing websites.

C'mon. I would expect with all the technical expertise at AT there would be a solution in days, if not weeks.

I hope this isn't the reason there was never a 9900 review here either.

 

[bearxor]

I'm buying 4 as soon as I can from Verizon.

But yeah, I'm still expecting BB to transition to a services company that supports iOS/Android as their main business at some point.

 

[Red Storm]

We had several die hard BB keyboard lovers here, including the president, vice president, and chief legal council of our company. They all switched to iPhones and haven't looked back. It's just too little too late for BB. It should not have taken as long as it did for them to respond with BB10.

 

[bearxor]

Yeah, my 4 are for the CEO and several positions right under. They all received iPhone 5's last year to use concurrently with their BB's but they rely too much on PIN to PIN and the iPhone's have gone mostly unused the past 4 months.

It's crazy because the CEO rejected the iPhone after a couple of weeks, but loves, loves, LOVES his iPad.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I've already seen Ones in the wild but haven't even noticed a z10 yet.
Of course all the bb apologists will say it's because the diehards are waiting for the q10.
Wonder what the next excuse will be.

 

[lupi]

I know a lot of people just waiting till their next no-camera version is released.

 

[SAWYER]

 

[DukeN]

I know RIM-bashing is popular but FFS can this site not maintain some level of objectivity and do a proper review of one of their devices? They are still much more popular than the WP8 stuff that AT has been knotting their panties over.

PS: I went from a BB to a SGS3 and doubt I'll be switching from Android anytime soon

 

[SAWYER]

Calm down!

 

[JAG87]

Blip before BOOM. $199 with a 3-year contract in Canada. ROFL. Bye RIM.

 

[DukeN]

Blip before BOOM. $199 with a 3-year contract in Canada. ROFL. Bye RIM.

Why are you laughing? Demand for this thing is nuts - Rogers is telling me there's a two week waiting period atleast for this thing, despite the price tag.

This will probably result in a surge of BES10 orders as well.

Margin on Q10 is probably best in the industry, as it doesn't have high end specs like say the iPhone 5 or SGS4 but it's selling at the same price.

 

[JAG87]

Why are you laughing? Demand for this thing is nuts - Rogers is telling me there's a two week waiting period atleast for this thing, despite the price tag.

This will probably result in a surge of BES10 orders as well.

Margin on Q10 is probably best in the industry, as it doesn't have high end specs like say the iPhone 5 or SGS4 but it's selling at the same price.

Yea, that effect is called "the BB keyboard die-hard fans who have been waiting 3 years to get a decent upgrade". When you put all those people together, it's actually quite a big number. After the initial rush, RIM will die a slow painful death.

Just the other day I had a die-hard fan exchange an iPhone for a Bold 9900 because "he couldn't type under the table in meetings"... Blows my mind away.

 

[QueBert]

It is not going to put RIM back at the top of the market again. RIM hopes to sell 10s of millions of its phone, but Samsung hopes to sell 100 million SGS4s. It is a different scale.

But it could be enough to keep them around as a company, especially in international markets.

The different is BIS, unless they changed something with BB10, every provider I've seen who offers BB devices charges more for the BB plan. I would have to assume RIM gets a cut of this no? I'd take 10 million devices where I made $5 a month on each over 100 million where I make squat after they've been sold.

 

[DukeN]

The different is BIS, unless they changed something with BB10, every provider I've seen who offers BB devices charges more for the BB plan. I would have to assume RIM gets a cut of this no? I'd take 10 million devices where I made $5 a month on each over 100 million where I make squat after they've been sold.

Yep, RIM gets a cut of BIS and an even bigger cut of BES.

In other markets they're probably raking in the $$ as RIM is still lofty in the UK, India, etc.

 

[s44]

BB10 doesn't require BB-specific plans any more. So... no free $

 

[3chordcharlie]

Yea, that effect is called "the BB keyboard die-hard fans who have been waiting 3 years to get a decent upgrade". When you put all those people together, it's actually quite a big number. After the initial rush, RIM will die a slow painful death.

Just the other day I had a die-hard fan exchange an iPhone for a Bold 9900 because "he couldn't type under the table in meetings"... Blows my mind away.

So first you thought the price was wrong, and now it's the users who are wrong.

Your analysis is seriously lacking; you may be right about the long-term outcome, but if you are, it is by accident.

 

[JAG87]

So first you thought the price was wrong, and now it's the users who are wrong.

Your analysis is seriously lacking; you may be right about the long-term outcome, but if you are, it is by accident.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

I just explained why there is a demand surge at launch. These kinds of people would have paid $299, even $399 for it. They are brainwashed.

What does that have to do with my previous assessment that $199 is way out of it's league for what it offers? Where is the incentive for the average consumer (not the above brainwashed) to spend $199 on a Q10 versus $49 on an S3?

 

[vbuggy]

I know RIM-bashing is popular but FFS can this site not maintain some level of objectivity and do a proper review of one of their devices? They are still much more popular than the WP8 stuff that AT has been knotting their panties over.

Popular among
a) The broke / shall we say those of a low-income ethnic nature who got BB because of the free BBM and because RIM were almost literally giving their low-end models away
b) The >40somethings who have it as a work phone because they can't get the hang of an iPhone (or indeed, WP).

There's definitely a market but with the positioning of the Q, perhaps market a) is out and b) will sustain them only for a while until their retire (best case).

I know that a) still has problems with Android with regard to the poor end-user experience among the lower-end Android handsets, but Apple + carriers offers superceded handsets for low subsidised prices as well in many markets and pre-BB10 users who aren't approaching retirement are moving to them or Androids.

WP brought fresh thinking and a fresh focused approach to design in UX's from a manufacturer (iOS itself didn't bring anything new in that respect: it was the mechanics of the interaction that was new) instead of the low-rent iOS that Android still is to a large degree - it therefore deserves 'knotting panties over' IMO.

I don't actually mind the everyday interaction of BB10 and there's a lot to like, but I can't shake off the feeling of 'if Microsoft's potentially fatally late to the ball (and it is), then what is RIM?'

 

[3chordcharlie]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Yes, you do.

I just explained why there is a demand surge at launch. These kinds of people would have paid $299, even $399 for it. They are brainwashed.

Grabbing a few million dollars from the early adopters is a great way to make some money, and lessen product shortages. I fully expect this phone to be at $99 subsidized by July 1st. Comparing launch price to 'old product' price for competitors isn't terribly honest.

What does that have to do with my previous assessment that $199 is way out of it's league for what it offers? Where is the incentive for the average consumer (not the above brainwashed) to spend $199 on a Q10 versus $49 on an S3?

You're talking about $150 difference (soon enough to be less or none at all) for a 3-year $2500-4000 contract. Within reason, you should be getting what you want/need, not trying to save small amounts of money. If you're making your decision on something like that based on a 3-5% difference, you're probably doing it wrong.