Torch rekindles love for BlackBerry
A survey shows the new smart phone is helping RIM finally compete with the iPhone on customer satisfaction.
By Jeff Reeves, Editor of InvestorPlace.com
The much-anticipated BlackBerry Torch 9800 from Canada smart-phone company Research In Motion (RIMM) made a big splash when it debuted in August. Now that consumers have had a chance to play with their new RIM smart phones, has the Torch rekindled their love for BlackBerry gadgets or left them cold?
According to a November smart-phone survey by ChangeWave Research, the BlackBerry Torch was well received and could spark a resurgence in much-maligned Research In Motion.
Specifically, ChangeWave asked RIMM smart-phone users whether they are “very satisfied” with their phone. Of those who owned the BlackBerry Torch 9800, almost two-thirds said they had this highest level of satisfaction. That’s a dramatic improvement over previous BlackBerry models – which couldn’t even get half of respondents to say they were “very satisfied.”
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This, of course, does not mean it’s all smooth sailing ahead for RIMM. Smart phones from Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Motorola (MOT) remain even more highly rated. Among 16GB iPhone 4 users, 78% said they were “very satisfied” in the latest ChangeWave survey, and 74% of Motorola Droid 2 users gave their phone top marks in the November poll.
It’s worth noting that the original Motorola Droid - with its Google (GOOG) Android-powered operating system - received,a “very satisfied” rating of 69% in May 2010. That’s right on target with the newly released BlackBerry torch!
So the takeaway is that investors and techies should take note of the latest BlackBerry smart phone. While it may seem that RIMM is on the way out, previous smart-phone releases by Apple and Motorola have proven that it only takes one awesome model to turn things around.
For Research in Motion, the BlackBerry Torch could be it if this trend of rising satisfaction continues.
Jeff Reeves is editor of InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JeffReevesIP.
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