Research In Motion is not only losing its grip in the smartphone market, but also losing its corporate clientele, the latest being Qantas Airways. The Australian company is all set to replace RIM’s BlackBerry with Apple’s iPhone.
Qantas Airways took this decision after its employees voted for the iOS device over, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry. The company will be replacing around 1,300 BlackBerry handsets, issued by them with iPhones.
BlackBerry maker was once the dominant player, when it came to mobile e-mail, making them preferred choice of corporate firms around the world. But in recent times, the company has been sliding down, as users are more favourable to Android and iOS based devices.
It looks like not only did the employee wanted to get rid of the BlackBerry, but also did the company, as it is estimated to save about $1.43 million on its cost, once the shift has been made. The savings will happen as the infrastructure supporting the devices will simplify. Add to that the savings from the devices themselves, as well as from cellular companies that are in charge of providing data services.
Robert Cockerill, Head of Infrastructure, Thames River Capital said that with the delay in BlackBerry 10 and a service contract with RIM expiring this year, he is expecting much of his staff to switch to Apple Inc.’s iPhone or devices based on Google Inc.’s Android platform.
RIM’s other corporate clients, especially the ones that feature in Fortune 100, who haven’t switched to other devices yet, are already looking for contingency plans, said Brian Carr, of Good Technology, who build software for servers and phones that can provide secure corporate e-mail and calendar services for iPhones and Android devices.
Considering the downfall, Research In Motion has experienced over the last year, this definitely does not make things easier for them. The only thing that might bring the company back on its track would be launch of BlackBerry 10 OS.
