ABI 2013 forecasts for BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone
Despite being a high level upgrade compared to earlier BlackBerry software, BlackBerry 10 didn’t receive the warmest welcome when it was unveiled earlier this week. However, a leading market research firm thinks BlackBerry (RIMM) has done enough to gain some good traction in 2013. ABI Research released new estimates this week projecting that the BlackBerry 10 installed base will reach 20 million by the end of 2013, while Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows Phone platform will see its installed base climb to 45 million by the end of the year. According to ABI, these figures will be “enough to keep developers interested” as the two companies battle for the No.3 position in the smartphone industry.
“2013 should be seen as relative success for both Microsoft and BlackBerry,” ABI analyst Aapo Markkanen concluded.
“The greatest fear for both Microsoft and BlackBerry is that the initial sales of their smartphones will disappoint and thereby kill off the developer interest, which then would effectively close the window of opportunity on further sales success. Our view is that the installed bases of this scale would be large enough to keep these two in the game,” Markkanen noted. ”It will definitely also help that both firms have actively kept the developers’ interest in mind while designing and rolling out their platforms.”
Source: ABI Research
