It’s no secret that Research in Motion is bleeding customers in the consumer market, while business customers remain somewhat steady. Well, steady is becoming a bit more uneasy, as companies worldwide are beginning to seek out greener pastures. In the latest major company departure, Australia’s Qantas Airways is dropping BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone.
Qantas Airways plans to replace some 1300 BlackBerry handsets with iPhones. Moreover, the company mentioned it wasn’t at all worried about the iPhone’s security, adding that the phone offered a user-friendly interface and simple access to emails, contacts and calendars that checked out with its security requirements.
A Qantas spokesman harped on the company’s decision even more saying, “There has been strong demand from Qantas employees for the iPhone, with a large majority of respondents to a recent survey indicating that this is their preferred smartphone option.”
This pretty much is the growing sentiment for companies around the world, as a recent study by technology analyst firm Telsyte found nearly 40% of enterprises said the iPhone was their preferred brand of smartphone.
In the end, Research in Motion is treading on some thin ice, as the company continues to lose market share. The losses will continue to get larger, more companies will jump ship, and with developers outlook of its new mobile operating system (BlackBerry 10) at an all time low, the hole will continue to get even deeper. At this pace, we’d be hard pressed to believe the company could make it through the year in its current state.
[via WSJ]