According to a report in toptechnews.com, Apple’s iPhone has “dramatically shaken up the smartphone market – especially for the leader, Research in Motion”, maker of the Blackberry.

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In just the last three months of 2007, says the article, smartphone shipments “shot up 60 per cent from a year ago, according to industry research firm IDC.  And RIM doubled sales of the Blackberry, adding 6.5 million subscribers in its last fiscal year, double the previous year”.

But as the market has grown, says the report, the Blackberry’s market share has dropped from “45 per cent to 40 per cent while the iPhone took 17.5 per cent in the second half of 2007”.
The iPhone’s consumer focus of the smartphone market has forced RIM out of its enterprise comfort zone and into the unchartered waters of consumer marketing, according to analysts.

In a desperate rear-guard action, the article notes that RIM is now working on a so-called “Apple killer” — a device with a touchscreen and lines suggestive of the iPhone. “But US telco AT&T is said to have delayed its introduction of the new phone because of problems with call quality — and delays hurt RIM as a new 3G iPhone is rumored for release this year”.