RIM cuts UK app store prices ahead of BlackBerry 10 launch

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is set to officially unveil the first BlackBerry 10 handsets this week, but in advance it has also adjusted the pricing tiers on its BlackBerry World app store ready for the launch.

Announced on the Inside BlackBerry Developer Blog, the move means that the lowest price developers in the UK can charge for an app will drop from £1 to £0.75, and is intended to give developers greater flexibility in setting a price for their content.

The Eurozone is also among the first wave of currencies to get an update to the BlackBerry World pricing structure, but this will vary by country. By way of example, RIM said that in France the lowest price will drop from €0.99 to €0.89.

Updates will rolled out to other currencies later, according to RIM.

“These updates will help to position your content items to be more competitive and attractive to customers in the UK and Eurozone markets,” said RIM’s Alex Kinsella on the Developer Blog.

“The goal of this adjustment is to ensure prices are in line with currency fluctuations and ensure content within BlackBerry World is competitive.”

Developers are not required to take any action, unless they wish to adjust their pricing using the BlackBerry World vendor portal, and the changes will not affect the availability of any content, RIM said.

The move is just part the preparations for the launch of BlackBerry 10 this week, which is being cast by many in the industry as RIM’s last chance to reverse its fortunes and grab back market share from rivals such as Android and Apple.

Last week, RIM released BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, an updated version of its corporate email and management platform, designed to support the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones, plus other devices.