Business Users Switching To Blackberry Rivals

A new survey of businesses in the US and the UK shows that corporate users are shifting their loyalties from the Blackberry to rivals such as iPhones and Android devices. The study, which surveyed 200 businesses from both countries, suggests that bankers, lawyers and government workers, traditionally the main clientele of the Blackberry, are choosing other brands on the market.

Several studies on smartphones, which include research from Nielsen Co., have foreseen the trend. Research suggests that the number of new subscribers for Blackberry have dropped. The study also shows that more than half of Blackberry users are planning to switch to an Android phone or iPhone. A study from the NDP Group last month shows that in the second quarter this year, the Blackberry's share of the smartphone market dropped to 28 percent as Android phones grew to 33 percent of the market. In addition, the Apple iPhone's share of the smartphone market was at 22 percent.

The Blackberry Torch 9800, one of the company's new products, has been considered adequate but is not seen as a big threat to recent Android devices and the iPhone. The smartphone, which has a sluggish browser and a low-resolution touchscreen, is hardly competitive and may only appeal to Blackberry loyalists. This has caused comparisons between RIM to IBM.