Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)
Another tech industry headline in 2013 is the BlackBerry 10. The Operating System BB10 along with 2 new smartphones, the Z10 and the Q10, were unveiled in January. As expected, both smartphones have touchscreens and are targeted towards all sorts of customers, with the aim that the OS can cater to the media and entertainment needs of users, as well as, to the business and corporate needs of long-time BlackBerry users.
If BlackBerry 10 fails, which many analysts claim, it would be because of two major reasons. One being the lack of apps with users missing popular Android/iOS apps, such as Netflix and Instagram and the other being BlackBerry’s late entry into the new smartphones market, which might not be enough to attract a decent portion of the 80 to 90% market, comprising of loyal Android and iOS users.
While the new BB10 is definitely something totally new in the smartphones market, it could well mark the end of BlackBerry, as a whole. The company has gambled its future over the latest OS and 2013 will be a vital year for judging BlackBerry 10’s overall reception. After the flop BlackBerry Playbook, a new BB10 tablet is almost impossible this year, with Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry’s CEO, claiming that entry into the tablets segment is rather difficult and that the company will only look to invest in areas where it thinks it could be profitable
Samsung
Samsung is another leading name in the smartphones market, with the brand having over 40% share in the Android smartphones market. Samsung’s year end saw the company dominate the market with highest smartphone sales worldwide. Samsung’s Galaxy series has received an impressive feedback in recent years and the company is set to announce several new devices this year.
While it is certain that the new Galaxy S4 will be released this year, the only question is when, with reports claiming that Samsung might launch the smartphone at the Mobile World Congress later this month or at its own event in March. The S4 mini, successor to the S3 mini, will also be released sometime this year, along with the some low-end Android based budget smartphones.
Samsung is also set to unveil at least one, if not more, Android tablets this year as the Android tablets market continues to grow at good pace. Rumors suggest that Samsung will be releasing a trio of tablets at the MWC event later this month, in Barcelona
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The article Tech Sector in 2013: It’s All About Smartphones and Tablets originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Yasir Idrees.
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