Could BlackBerry problems boost iPhone sales?

13 October 2011

BlackBerry users could be tempted to sell mobile phones and instead opt for an iPhone following the data outage that has affected RIM's smartphones.

Many users were left without internet, email or BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) access for three days following a server crash and principal analyst at Canalys Pete Cunningham said the incident has tested "the loyalty and tolerance of [RIM's] user base".

"It's impossible to say what the impact will be," he remarked, adding the smartphone market is "hugely competitive" and customers have plenty of alternatives to choose from.

He also criticised RIM for its approach to the issue, noting that the Canadian company has been responding to issues within its local time working hours over Twitter.

The firm should have been "more proactive" given many affected customers are based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Another threat to RIM could be iMessage, a new feature included in Apple's iOS 5 software for iPhones that enables users to send messages to owners of other iOS devices in a similar way to BBM.