Click for update – With regards to demand, devices like the Nexus 4 and 7 were so sought after last year that they would sell out almost immediately after becoming available, but the likes of LG, Google or even Samsung have yet to encounter a bulk order like BlackBerry just did, with a request for 1,000,000 new BlackBerry Z10 handsets.
The Z10 was the star of a global launch event back in January alongside the still unreleased BlackBerry Q10. At the event, the then Research In Motion (aka RIM) rebranded to make the BlackBerry name their own. The Z10, which as well as featuring more competitive hardware specifications debuted the company’s brand new BlackBerry 10 operating system, which sheds the restraints of the past in favour of a new approach to the mobile user experience.
An order for one million BlackBerry Z10 flagship smartphones was placed by an unknown customer late last week and serves as the largest single order in the company’s history. We can only assume that with BlackBerry’s refresh, companies who had previously looked to their smartphones as a bastion of business-centric mobile communication have had their faith restored and as such seem willing to lay down a ton of cash for some fresh BB action.
As Fox News, who brought in the report of this mammoth order points out; BlackBerry’s Chief Executive – Thorsten Heins had previously revealed that he was disappointed that the new BlackBerry Z10 would not be making its way to the US market until mid-March, despite both Canadian and UK availability kicking off from the end of January, but as it looks as though because this big order came from a US client, it must have been worth the wait.
Update: The recipient of the one million unit strong order for BlackBerry’s latest handset the Z10 now has a name: Brightstar. The previously anonymous buyer made company history by requesting one million BlackBerry Z10 handsets in a single order just last week. According to The Guardian, who broke the original order story, Brightstar serves as an electronics distributor to a number of companies including US carrier Verizon.
It was research company Detwiler Fenton who unearthed the identity of the purchaser and its MD – Mark Gerber told the Guardian that Brightstar will be overseeing the distribution of BB10 handsets for Verizon’s retail paths to “big box” retailers and other retail outlets such as supermarkets.
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