WATERLOO, Ontario — Research in Motion (RIM) has revealed plans to launch seven new BlackBerry smartphones running its next-generation OS.
Speaking at its annual shareholder meeting yesterday, company Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that there would be several new devices released “within rapid succession” starting next month, including the Bold 9900 that’s on track for a summer debut.
The 9860 and 9850 will be coming shortly, followed by a new Torch 9810 and Curve 9360.
RIM also acknowledge that the weak market presence of its PlayBook tablet was a result of not having the right retailers and carriers in place.
A new 4G version of the PlayBook is coming in the fall.
Balsillie reportedly told meeting attendees, “If there’s anything I can do to make you sleep better at night, I’ll do it.”
According to research firm comScore, RIM has fallen behind market leaders Apple iPhone and Google Android. Its share of the U.S. smartphone market dipped to 24.7 percent in the three months ending in May from almost 29 percent a quarter earlier.
