Rumor: T-Mobile dropping 8700g and all QWERTYs in December

Posted Sep 16th 2006 1:14PM by Russell Shaw
Filed under: T-Mobile, Rumors

Just got a tip from a reader who informs me a T-Mobile rep told him something very interesting.

Two very interesting things, actually.

1- T-Mobile is stopping BlackBerry 8700g sales this December, and:

2- T-Mobile won't sell any more QWERTY BlackBerrys.

If both decisions are true, then it tells me that T-Mobile is of a mind to push BlackBerrys as more of a cell with data capability rather than a data device with cell capability.

Or to put it another way, it seems that T-Mobile has been so juiced by the Pearl 8100 it is seeking to carve out its own BlackBerry niche as a provider of "cool," as opposed to coldly efficient, BlackBerry models.

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. #1 makes sense if an 8200 or whatever it is now is coming out, but #2 makes no sense at all.

Posted at 4:28PM on Sep 16th 2006 by havaloc

2. Makes no sense...such a huge market for qwerty keyboards, especially if the competition is till going to carry them.

Posted at 5:21PM on Sep 16th 2006 by Mak

3. this is entirely incorrect. if the 8700g is being taken off the shelves, it's being replaced by the 8705 for HAC compliance. t-mobile is not going to stop carrying qwerty blackberrys. as always, you can't trust what joe the t-mobile sales rep says. t-mobile sales reps are usually not informed about things like that anyway.

Posted at 5:36PM on Sep 16th 2006 by bbfan

4. This would be an insane movem I can see them introducing more pearl type devices but they don't want to stop making devices that appeal to their HUGE base of business people, which means that the QWERT keybaord, as well as the scroll wheel will have to remain.

Posted at 11:21AM on Sep 18th 2006 by Robert Aitchison

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