BlackBerry Device Trade-Ins at All Time High

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More and more BlackBerry smartphone users are switching to other platforms. Are users angry at RIM for the worldwide BlackBerry service outages? Or are they just more interested in the iPhone 4S?

Gadget buyer Gazelle has released figures for trade-ins and buybacks, and says the rate at which BlackBerry smartphone users have been turning in their gadgets is at an all-time high. Since the previous week, BlackBerry smartphone trade-ins have seen an 80% increase since a record high earlier this October.

In an interview with CNET, Gazelle exec Anthony Scarsella says that this rise in volume of BlackBerry trades can be an offshoot of the recent events in the smartphone industry. For one, worldwide BlackBerry outages left users without email, messaging and web service for at least three days several weeks ago. This is coupled with the recent launch and release of the iPhone 4S and even flagship Android devices from Motorola and Samsung.

Gazelle says most of the trade-ins were from the Sprint network, which has recently started to carry the iPhone 4S. “In the grand scheme of BlackBerry growth over the past month, it can be pretty much entirely attributed to the launch of the iPhone 4S,” Scarsella says.

However, the company also says there have been an increase in trade-ins from other platforms, as well. This includes previous versions of the iPhone, which were said to be bought back at a rate of one iPhone per 15 seconds. As such, it seems that smartphone users are upgrading, regardless of platform. But BlackBerry devices get a special mention due to the increasing rate at which users are switching.

Gazelle offers buy-backs for devices like smartphones and tablets, in exchange for cash, which most users use toward the purchase of other devices. Statistics cited by the company are often referred to as indicators for the behavior of smartphone users, particularly patterns relating to upgrading and switching across platforms.