There are a couple of rumors floating around that T-Mobile is about to release both the BlackBerry 8800 and the BlackBerry 8300 within the next month with the 8800 coming on the 23rd of April and the 8300 coming on May 7th.
How likely is this? Would T-Mobile release two devices within a couple of weeks of each other? I guess stranger things have happened. Both devices would definitely get a lot of play at WES 2007, the biggest BlackBerry show of the year, however, sales of each device could be cannibalized by sales of the other. Is T-Mobile willing to take that risk?
What do you think? Let us know in the comments…
As usual Robb, very good question. I don’t know if T-Mobile would release two devices at the same time, however, of the big four carriers, I think that they may be the best suited to do so.
T-Mobile was the first carrier to come out with the BlackBerry Pearl so they have the most experience dealing with consumer BlackBerry buyers and one thing that many consumers want is a BlackBerry with a camera and a full keyboard. The comments on this thread, http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/04/07/t-mobile-blackberry-8800-launching-april-23rd/#comments, over on the Boy Genius Report seem to indicate that the T-Mobile 8800 will be a business only device. So, it seems plausible that T-Mobile could release the 8300 at roughly the same time as the 8800 to meet the demands of consumers who won’t buy a BlackBerry without a camera but want a full keyboard.
This would be a smart move. The 8800 isn’t getting that great of reviews and consumers aren’t buying it in droves on Cingular like they did the BlackBerry Pearl. Release the 8800 for business users who want a new device but cannot have a camera. Release the 8300 for everyone else.
I hope they will do so. Although I think it would not be a clever move from the marketing view. The 8300 sales will definitively eat a lot of the 8800 sales because it has a camera.
Maybe they think that business customers will choose the 8800 because they do not need (or want) the camera.
Could be. We need to keep in mind that there are other factors in play, outside of T-Mo’s control. There’s when Cingular releases the 8300…there may be pressure from RIM to get these models out. There may be a desire to get these models out before the iPhone release.
In one sense, releasing these models so close together may create a nice synergy, where the buzz surrounding both releases builds to something greater than the sum of the parts.
What theme is that on the cingular blackberry.. i would love it
Chris, I’m with you! What is that theme on the cingular blackberry? Looks cool!!! Please someone let us know.