Research In Motion Limited (USA) (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM) is betting heavily on the BlackBerry 10, which is scheduled to be launched on January 30. The BlackBerry maker is now helping users prepare to switch to the upcoming platform. RIM hopes to reclaim its lost glory from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930).
The company’s senior enterprise accounts director, Brian Lee said RIM is “very enthused by the engagement and response of our customer base.” The company recently launched BlackBerry 10 Ready Program aimed at persuading users to adopt to the BlackBerry 10 platform.
RIM’s success will depend primarily on its biggest clients – government agencies and large corporations that have always relied on BlackBerry due to its strong security features. Brian Lee said that within just a few days over 1,600 customers have registered for the program in North America, and over 1,000 of them are actively using the program. Under the program, the company is offering customers information, tools and services to make their transition to BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 smoother.
The BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 will run the new smartphones on corporate networks. RIM said it is in beta testing stage with more than 130 large corporations and government agencies across North America, out of which 60 are Fortune 500 companies.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company was the pioneer of now the ultra-competitive smartphone market. But the company lost its market share to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone devices and other smartphones running on Android operating system. Many service outages in the BlackBerry messaging services caused a further loss of sales. Even enterprise clients, who once exclusively used BlackBerry devices, have shifted to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930).
If government agencies and corporate clients adopt BlackBerry 10, the struggling company will get a breathing room. Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM) has promised that its latest device will be faster, smoother and will offer a wide variety of applications. In a positive sign for the company, Visa has approved the smartphone’s secure mobile payments method.
Shares of Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) (TSE:RIM) have plunged more than 90 percent from their all-time high of $148 in 2008 to $6.22 in September 2012. However, the company has recovered a little since then.