The new MD of RIM Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Chris Burke, has outlined the strategy that the company intends to implement during the remainder of this year. Central to Burke's proposals is the plan to take the Blackberry out of the corporate arena and make it more affordable and attractive to a younger and more consumer-oriented user base.
Key to this move will see RIM taking advantage of the shift by operators to flat-rate and prepay data tariffs, and price cuts to some of the RIM product range. Both the 8220 Flip and 8900 Javelin are expected to undergo a series of price cuts during 2009, culminating in aggressive prepay deals, varying between €140 and €190, in the run-up to Christmas. Evidence of this new thinking comes from the Blackberry Pearl that has been on sale at Orange for around €160 since the start of the year.
The company has also revealed it intends to look for a larger presence within Carphone Warehouse and other mega-store retailers, along with forming partnerships with a selection of the larger supermarket chains that have wide-scale European outlets.
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