FileHippo News

The latest software and tech news

The BlackBerry 10 OS has been highly touted for months, unfortunately customers in Japan will not be able to test out the new OS.... BlackBerry 10 Devices Won’t Be Sold In Japan

The BlackBerry 10 OS has been highly touted for months, unfortunately customers in Japan will not be able to test out the new OS. According to Nikkei Business Daily the tech firm has decided to skip the Japanese market upon launch of its new device line.

BlackBerry market share has nosedived in Japan to just 0.3 percent from five percent over the last two years. Despite the loss of sales the BlackBerry OS still contributes to 24 million smartphones in the country.

BlackBerry 10 Devices Won't Be Sold In Japan

According to BlackBerry’s global corporate communications manager Nick Manning:

“Japan is not a major market for BlackBerry, and we have no plans to launch BlackBerry 10 devices there at this time. However, we will continue to support BlackBerry customers in Japan.”

 

BlackBerry is aggressively planning to pursue the North American market with the release of its new devices. Should the OS find success once again the company could push the platform back into Japan and expand its reach elsewhere.

Executives at the smartphone firm have high hopes for the device. According to Chief information officer Robin Bienfait the BlackBerry 10 is so powerful that it is “approaching the functionality and power of a laptop.”

The BlackBerry 10 OS is also a radical departure from other mobile offerings from the company. Engineers at BlackBerry literally built the platform from the ground up, abandoning the company’s former platform to create something more robust and functional for both enterprise users and general consumers.

Early reviews for the BlackBerry 10 OS have been relatively positive and the company’s new smartphones fall more into line with the design standards of other devices from the likes of Apple, Samsung and LG.

The big question now will be whether or not the company formerly known as Research in Motion can win back the very same customers that abandoned it over the last five years.

[Image via telecoms]