2013 is an exciting year for tech fans as all sorts of new releases and changes are scheduled our way. Of all the stories to catch our attention, the most puzzling yet interesting tale seems to be that of Research In Motion and their flagship BlackBerry smartphone.
Despite having a OS which is oblivious to cell phone spy software or BlackBerry Messenger spy apps, the company has been facing difficulty.
For the last five years the rumor mills have been filled with predictions and sure fire calculations that RIM would not survive another year … and here we are an entire decade after BlackBerry sets hit the markets and we are still pondering the fate of the once glorious device.
A lot of Money for an Old Phone
In the midst of this entire struggle, an interesting thing to happen is BlackBerry’s release of a super high end phone- -so high end that its price comes in at $2050 Canadian. The BlackBerry Porsche Design p’9981 was actually officially launched in June 2012. At the time of release it was only available in stainless steel.
Now in mid-Jan it will be released in a new black version and a new whopping price. Of course, everyone knows that BlackBerry has always aligned itself with the color black, producing sharp riveting designs. The design for the new Porsche set is more luxurious, set in matte black though the frame remains of stainless steel. The set in encased in black plastic with the backing made of expensive leather.
The new design has a 2.8 inch touchscreen display, runs the 7.1 version of the OS (though an eventual upgrade may not even exist), 1.2 GHz processor, 5 MP camera with 720p HD video Wi-Fi plus NFC, and the crowning glory (or what you are actually being charged for) is the custom Porsche fonts and icons. Nothing else seems to have graced the set.
BlackBerry is for the Stylish
This year we saw the unveiling and eventual release of the BlackBerry 10 OS and six different devices to go with it. RIM sees this as a positive endeavor and seems to be confident that the sinking platform will fight the odds and come out a survivor.
Of course the confidence boost is also in part due to the fact that many major carriers worldwide are going to be catering to BlackBerry customers.
But at the same time the release of the ridiculously expensive phone seems to make another statement altogether. If the new OS is so amazing then why isn’t the new version of the Porsche built for BlackBerry 10?
Most of us can scratch our noodle about this but the answer seems to lay somewhere else. RIM hasn’t really released a new phone in the form of Porsche Design but has simply released another fashion statement.
This makes sense if we remember that traditionally BlackBerry has been always an insignia of the elite, executive types. Owning a BlackBerry worth $2000 seems to be another kind of trademark for such individuals. Or so BlackBerry seems to hope. (waw)