Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY): Q10 Sells As Well As Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone?

Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has been gaining a lot of buzz lately as the smartphone underdog in the highly competitive mobile market nowadays, and has been working to make a comeback since its launch of the BlackBerry 10 operating system in January. With an estimated 70 million BlackBerry users around the world currently, Research in Motion Ltd. has a legacy market that is reasonably sized but shrinking, in that  its place in the market has not changed much in the last two to three years while the smartphone market continues to expand.

Relatively speaking, the new flagship Z10 touchscreen device by Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) had modest if not spectacular sales in its first couple of months on the market, but there have been indications that longtime BlackBerry users were holding out for a new device with the familiar QWERTY keyboard that has been a BlackBerry staple. Well, if initial sales in the U.K. are any indication – and they might be, according to the BlackBerry CEO – then the Q10 just might be the device for which BlackBerry users have been waiting.

Could the Q10 be the iPhone of Canada? Thorsten Heins, CEO of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), said Monday during an interview at the Milkin Institute conference in Los Angeles that he believes sales of the Q10 device could just about replenish he entire existing supply of BlackBerry devices. Heins said, “This is going into the installed base of more than 70 million BlackBerry users so we have quite some expectations. We expect several tens of million of units,” he said.

So far, he seems to be basing this on reports out of the U.K. that indicate that the Q10 is the best-selling tech device in the U.K. based on opening-weekend numbers, according to one report from department-store chain Selridge’s, which reported several inventory sellouts in just hours. Considering the overall success of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones, to even have Selfridge’s make such a claim about the Q10 just might be encouraging indeed. This could also be the momentum that Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) might need to carry forward its plans to reveal new devices later this year – rumored to be another flagship device along with a couple of mid-range devices for the highly competitive, low-margin budget smartphone space.

What do you think? Are you a BlackBerry user, and are you part of the pent-up demand for a new keyboard device? Do you have bold predictions for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) going forward? Can it complete its comeback and be a viable tech player once again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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