[leftypepper716]

BlackBerry will be releasing six new BB10 devices next year. Is it just me? Or do you feel six devices isn't nessesary? Yes, RIM should have ONE flagship full touchscreen and ONE full size qwerty keyboard device(S) for their flagships', and possibly two others for an entry level BB. Six? Well IMO that's definatly four more RIM doesn't need. How about just introducing the two flagship devices (L series & N series) 1st, see how they sell, Before glutting the market with more product that consumers may not want.

[Guignards]

there will be only 2 devices, Full touch and touch w/ keyboard.
of each device there will be 3 radio antenna types that will be sold to various parts of the world.

for example North american model, european model and Asian Model.
Each phone will be the same. Hardware and software wise, but maybe making 3 seperate radios vs one size fits all is a cost reduction?

Just speculation though.

[RubberChicken76]

Well IMO that's definatly four more RIM doesn't need. How about just introducing the two flagship devices (L series & N series) 1st, see how they sell, Before glutting the market with more product that consumers may not want.

The other four might be derivatives like a CDMA, GSM version of each (there's two more). And perhaps there are lower and higher memory storage versions (like the 16, 32 and 64 GB PLayBooks)?

Might not be six different lines (ala Pearl, Curve, Torch, Bold, PlayBook, Style), but rather six different SKUs in two different lines.

[Nindia]

All they need is the full touch screen, a bold 9900 replacement, and something entry level for both of those.

4 devices

[supraking]

No need for entry level. Entry level is useless. I'm hoping the 6 variants are essentially 2 models (touch and QWERTY) with different radios, as was mentioned.

High-end / low-end is pointless. It fragments the marketplace. It hinders the experience. Everyone with an iPhone gets the same experience, until the iPhone changes the next time around. But there is ONLY one iPhone to buy. This keeps things simple, consistent, and makes it easier to achieve economies of scale in manufacturing.

[kdna]

Who-ever keeps making up these rumors needs to stop. RIM hasn't announced 6 devices. They announced 2. The full tough-screen being launched first then the qwerty.

[gariac]

I do believe that supporting a low end (say Curve) and high end (say Bold) doesn't make sense unless the business market wants no frills phones. For the end user, the price difference between a high end and low end phone, considering the total cost of ownership, is nil. Just amortize the extra cost over 24 payments (2 years service) and the cost difference is less than a cup of plain coffee at Starbucks.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

[Nindia]

To get rid of "low-end" devices would be retarded at this point. That's what's been driving RIM's sales for the last few months to almost a year.

Emerging markets need low cost devices. RIM needs to capture that client base and hope that they upgrade to their high end flagship hardware as their income levels grow in the future.

You can't shaft that market now.

[Nindia]

A lot of you guys don't realize that in international markets (where RIM is doing well, not everything is about North America folks) a lot of carriers do not subsidize handsets. The reason RIM has done well in those countries is because they're able to offer a cheap device that does pretty much everything the flagship BlackBerry's do but not as refined of a user experience.

[Omnitech]

Who-ever keeps making up these rumors needs to stop. RIM hasn't announced 6 devices. They announced 2. The full tough-screen being launched first then the qwerty.

That "rumor" was disseminated by, as I recall, none other than Thorsten Heins, in a recent interview.

However I assume as has been commented here previously that what that probably means are 3 variants each of 2 initial devices: a touchscreen and a HW keyboard model, with different radio compatibility. There are just too many different local variants of the different network technology to put it all in one device, especially with LTE hitting the market now.

Just for LTE there are something like a half-dozen different spectrum combinations that are in use right now around the world, maybe more than that.

[playbookster]

A low mid and high range device on both all touch and qwerty doesnt seem like too much. 3 of each sounds good to me.

[BB10FTW]

There are thousands of Android devices, a fair wack of Windows Phones, and 3 iPhones currently being sold. I don't think 6 phones is to much. The one thing I have always loved about BlackBerry is the variety. Low-End handsets are extremely important in emerging markets and for people who want a smartphone experience without the $600-$700 price tag. Mid-Level devices are also good for people who want a better experience but don't need the overkill specs some devices have. High-End is of course for people who place a lot of value on their phone. I am a High-End device kind of guy. The feeling of the device is always better and just makes you feel better. I believe the market needs choice and RIM is right to give it to them. It really doesn't matter to me what they release as long as the High-End device is something I can be excited to own. Specs may not mean everything but it sure is exciting and fun to know your phone is top notch.

We will find out soon enough. I estimate about 12 weeks left and the first device will launch. What I know for sure is that I'm Super Excited!!!

[kfh227]

The Playbook is going to be a BB10 device. There is a rumor of a 10" keyboard based playbook. that would be 2.

4 smart phones though. That is interesting.

[gng11]

I just really wish RIM would trim one device down to ONE. Or at least one at a time, and in cycles rather than short-term distances.

[kye2000]

its like the 3 radio antenna types for curve 9350/9360/9370 but there basically the same phone

Sent from my BlackBerry 9360 using Tapatalk

[cgk]

I doubt we will see a curve priced device in the first wave that would be an absolutely disaster for the company (who need to move back to a position where they make good margins on devices to survive) - I think within this conversation, 'low-end' is 'low-end' in the way the 16gb iphone is low-end.

[Guignards]

so what became of these 6 devices? did we get a conclusion on this, was it various braud bands?

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

so what became of these 6 devices? did we get a conclusion on this, was it various braud bands?

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

There was two devices announced. 4 more at some point this year. We don't know when

[Omnitech]

There are 2-3 LTE variants of the Z10 for different RF markets, and one non-LTE variant of the Z10 that uses a TI CPU instead of the Qualcomm one the LTE versions use.
When the Q10 comes out, certainly there will be different versions for different RF markets as well.

[EnolaB29]

I just hope they will bring out a smaller version of the curretn Z10 (like a Z10 mini). Because I for one who like a phone that is not so big.

[W Hoa]

So is this a turn on the much mentioned lament of BlackBerry being too little, too late and has now become too much, too soon?