No home ground advantage for RIM against iPhone

Canada, the home of Research in Motion has always seen a steady demand from their loyal consumers, as far as the brand’s BlackBerry line-up of handsets are concerned. However, as per a report by Bloomberg, it appears that the tide has changed and those loyal consumers are not as loyal anymore, with many opting to buy an iPhone instead of a BlackBerry. This has resulted in Research in Motion losing its top spot for smartphone shipments in their home turf for the first time; in the process trailing Apple’s iPhone, which has overtaken them.

Will BlackBerry 10 be the answer?

The report states, “RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, shipped 2.08 million BlackBerrys last year in Canada, compared with 2.85 million units for Apple, data compiled by IDC and Bloomberg show. In 2010, the BlackBerry topped the iPhone by half a million, and in 2008, the year after the iPhone’s debut, RIM outsold Apple by almost five to one. BlackBerry, one of the biggest consumer brands to emerge from Canada, had enjoyed more loyalty among locals who embraced its made-in-Canada roots. BlackBerry’s loss of domestic preeminence shows the iPhone’s user-friendly features and wealth of apps trumps other considerations.”

The report notes that the sales in Canada, which account for about 7 percent of RIM’s revenue, fell 23 percent in the fiscal third quarter from a year earlier as U.S. sales tumbled 45 percent. That dragged worldwide revenue down 5.9 percent, offsetting rising emerging-market sales. So, is there any light at the end of this dark tunnel for Research in Motion, we certainly hope so. With the brand set to introduce the BlackBerry 10 OS and a range of devices that go along with it, hopefully the brand will get back some of the love they lost in the recent past. Though the brand is losing sales in its home market, in emerging markets, like the Middle East and Africa, the brand continues to do well with RIM being able to ship 8.3 million handsets, as compared to 2.5 Apple iPhones.

Let us know your reactions on the declining state of RIM on its home turf and do you think with BlackBerry 10, the brand will be a force to reckon with once more?