BlackBerry has fallen a long way from its position as leader of the smartphone industry. The Canadian company, which failed to innovate, sat idly as Apple and Samsung took over the smartphone market. It is now in a state of disarray, considering options of either selling or dismantling the company. But before BlackBerry reaches the end, they’ve decided to release a new 5-inch screen smartphone called the Z30. As reported by reuters.com:
“The long-rumored Z30 device, unveiled at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be BlackBerry’s new top-of-the-line device, taking the crown from the smaller Z10 that was launched early this year.
“The new touchscreen device, which boasts a five-inch display and a 1.7 gigahertz processor, will compete against the likes of Apple Inc’s iPhone 5S and Samsung Electronics Co’s Galaxy S4, along with a slew of other devices that are powered by Google Inc’s Android platform.”
Although the Z30 is a relatively good offering, at least for BlackBerry, it won’t likely be innovative enough to lure people away from Apple’s iPhone and other top Android devices like the Galaxy S4 or HTC One. According to theverge.com:
“Since the launch of BlackBerry 10 and the Z10 earlier this year, BlackBerry has refrained from smothering the market with new hardware choices. Unfortunately, demand for the Z10 and its companion, the Q10, has not been very high among consumers, and the company has openly admitted to pursuing various buyout options. Whether or not a new, big smartphone such as the Z30 can reverse the path BlackBerry has been on all year remains to be seen, but odds are that BlackBerry will need more than that to turn things around.”
The BlackBerry Z30 will go on sale with select carriers through the rest of the year. Carrier support could be another hurdle in the way of the success of the Z30, as many carriers are reluctant to put much support behind the dying format.
In the end, although the Z30 may be a good device, it will probably be seen as tantamount to a Hail Mary pass thrown as the last-ditch effort.
